The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Management Cooperation on Monday, Oct. 6, underscoring the importance of disaster management in light of recent calamities and natural disasters.
ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh hailed the signing of the MOU as a “milestone in the developing partnership with China in the area of disaster management.” The signing ceremony took place at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is the initial step in strengthening the partnership between China and ASEAN. The tasks ahead would require further dialogue and interaction to fully implement the MOU,” Minh said.
The MoU provided for RMB 50 million to support the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme, the operationalisation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), and the ASEAN Secretariat’s capacity building programmes on disaster management.
Yan Xiuping, Ambassador of China to the ASEAN region, said that this is the first time that China had provided a grant to ASEAN through a multilateral mechanism.
“By coming together, we can do more for the benefit of the people,” Ambassador Xiuping said.
She also highlighted the leadership exercised by the ASEAN Secretary-General in getting donations when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in November last year.
“The leadership of the Secretary-General of ASEAN is important not only within the region but also outside ASEAN,” said Ambassador Xiuping.
“Disaster management is important to governments and the people. Through this grant, China hopes to help countries affected by disasters,” she said. (Based on ASEAN Secretariat News)
