Expectations for the Ha Long Declaration at the 43rd Meeting of the ASEAN Committee

On the morning of October 9, the 43^rd Annual Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management opened in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province. Delegates attending included representatives of ASEAN member countries and relevant international organizations.

In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep sent a thank you to members of the Committee and members of relevant agencies through periods for their tireless efforts as well as the companionship of partners throughout the past 20 years to improve natural disaster risk management capacity in the ASEAN region.

"We meet again today to continue the 42^nd Annual Meeting of the Committee in Da Nang that took place in June 2023, with extremely remarkable achievements," said the Deputy Minister.

According to the leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ASEAN has achieved practical results in all aspects of the natural disaster prevention and control process, from assessment and monitoring, prevention, response, and mitigation of natural disaster risks to enhancing resilience to natural disasters.

Besides, Southeast Asian countries also amended ADMER fund financial rules to help mobilize resources from the community and prepare resources to act early before natural disasters. Implement the organization of emergency disaster response drills in the ASEAN region and technical support activities, as well as discussing and agreeing on Timor Leste's participation in ACDM meetings and capacity-improving activities.

At the conference in Quang Ninh in early October, the Deputy Minister asked relevant parties to continue to give opinions and approve a number of main contents on: Implementing the decisions of relevant senior leaders; Updating results of the implementation of the AADMER Programme 2021–2025 in recent times; Discussing to submit to the Ministerial Conference for approval of the “Ha Long Declaration on Strengthening Early Action in ASEAN Disaster Management” and discussing the financial regulations of the ASEAN Disaster Management and Emergency Relief Fund.

Provisions on the duties and authorities of the ASEAN Secretary-General in his role as ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator, the content of cooperation and agreements with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean partners, and updates on the results of the implementation of ASEAN natural disaster management activities in recent times will also be reviewed and commented on.

Among the above contents, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep assessed that the issuance of the Ha Long Declaration at this meeting was a notable highlight. The Deputy Minister emphasized that this is a key, important, and urgent task for ASEAN countries in implementing coordination tasks to adapt to challenges from natural disasters and climate change, which happen more and more in recent times.

Vietnam, with the rotating chairmanship, has received the support and assistance of ASEAN member countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, and related agencies, affirming that Vietnam will continue to join hands with Brunei to implement and complete the task of coordinating ASEAN natural disaster management activities in 2023 with many practical and effective agendas.

On this occasion, on behalf of the host country, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep pledged efforts to actively and responsibly participate in natural disaster management activities in the ASEAN region. "We fully believe that, with determination, scientific and methodical methods, and the support of international partners and friends, we will overcome challenges and build a united, strong ASEAN community pioneering in natural disaster management globally," he affirmed.

Mr. Pham Duc Luan, Director of the Department of Dike Management and Disaster Prevention and Control, said that the contents of the Ha Long Declaration will be approved at the 11^th ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Natural Disaster Management, taking place on October 12.

"Hopefully, with determination and solidarity, we will soon launch early action frameworks for natural disaster prevention and control, even though this is still a relatively new concept. I believe that the level of damage will be significantly reduced when we transform from a passive to a proactive response," he shared.