The Asia-Pacific is often subjected to frequently occurring natural hazards. Countries in the region have been proactive in enhancing disaster preparedness, response, and recovery mechanisms at the national and local levels. However, the transboundary impacts of natural disasters, especially in Southeast Asia, highlight that such efforts cannot remain the solitary pursuit of any one country but rather a collective imperative.  In 2009, the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) came into effect, setting the foundation for regional cooperation, coordination, technical assistance, and resource mobilization in disaster management and emergency response. While ASEAN is making significant progress in this regard, it needs to continue strengthening its capacities to cope with and adapt to the evolving nature of disasters and the transforming humanitarian landscape both globally and in the region.

The ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management outlines the need to re-orient to a more people-centred, financially sustainable, and social networked implementation of the AADMER by 2025. It lays three mutually-inclusive strategic elements that will guide the direction of AADMER: Institutionalisation and Communications; Finance and Resource Mobilisation; and Partnerships and Innovation. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat, ACDM Knowledge and Information Management Working Group, and the AHA Centre will convene a workshop bringing together different stakeholders in Southeast Asia to discuss practical ways to fulfil the overall strategy set forth by the ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management through a whole-of-society approach.

The workshop aims to engage existing and potential champions for cross-sectoral partnerships in disaster management to identify (i) what worked well and how, and (ii) what did not work and why. It also seeks to define a proven working model that can be replicated to enhance successful partnerships and build less-developed/new partnerships with other strategic sectors. This workshop is expected to produce concrete recommendations for the development of the AADMER 2020-2025 work plan.