TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei said that the joint response of the member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in disaster mitigation is crucial.
“Every country faces the challenge of multiple disasters and vulnerabilities. ASEAN could be hit by any disaster at any time,” he said in an official statement after attending the 28th Asean Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) in Semarang, Central Java, Tuesday, April 26, 2016.
Willem said that the meeting is aiming to encourage ASEAN to promote humanitarian cooperation, mitigate disaster risk and foster resilience in the region. “ASEAN must be prepared to cooperate and support the efforts to help the government and the community affected by disasters,” he said.
Willem explained that based of the report of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), cyclone is the deadliest natural disaster in ASEAN. The natural disaster could harm humans, infrastructures, agriculture, etc.
The UNISDR findings between 1970 - 2009 showed that social vulnerabilities toward natural disasters were also high. According to Willem, Myanmar scores the highest in vulnerability index compared to other countries in ASEAN, followed by Indonesia and the Philippines.
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