The ASEAN Leaders signed the “ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region” at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane. The declaration is based on the principle of harnessing the individual and collective strengths of different sectors and stakeholders in ASEAN to effectively respond to disasters inside and outside the region.

The declaration confirms that the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) is the main regional policy backbone and common platform for the implementation of One ASEAN, One Response, and that the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) is the primary ASEAN regional coordinating agency on disaster management and emergency response. It also recognises the role of AHA Centre, at a later stage, to enable ASEAN to respond to disasters outside the region.

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