This year’s AHA Centre Governing Board (GB) meeting was held online on 8 October 2021 and was chaired by the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF). It was the first GB meeting for Mr. Lee Yam Ming as the AHA Centre’s new Executive Director. The meeting discussed activities for the period of June to September 2021, as well as updates on the AHA Centre’s 10th Anniversary, the agenda for which was endorsed by the GB members.

Within the reporting period, the AHA Centre facilitated the procurement of DELSA relief items to support the COVID-19 response in three ASEAN Member States namely Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam with funding support from Direct Relief. The relief items were valued at USD 62,000 for each Member State. Malaysia received ICT equipment for hospitals and personal protective equipment, Thailand received personal hygiene kits for infants, elderly and disabled people and Viet Nam received medical face masks and thermal scanners.

In line with ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar the AHA Centre, as the operational lead facilitated the first delivery of COVID-19 assistance to the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS). This assistance was contributed by the Governments of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Turkey, and Temasek Foundation International in the form of medical supplies and equipment worth USD 1.1 million. There were also cash contributions from the Philippines (USD 100,000); Singapore (USD 100,000) and Thailand (US$ 200,000), which were utilised to procure medical supplies.

In May the concept note of the third edition of the ASEAN Risk Monitor Report and Disaster Management Review (ARMOR 3) was approved by the AHA Center Working Group. The provisional theme of ARMOR 3 is: “When disasters and pandemics collide what does it mean to us (or ASEAN), now and into the future?” In July collaborators were called for and by 25 August, the AHA Centre had received 19 abstracts submitted by various institutions and following a review process the abstracts were shortlisted. The abstracts were reviewed by the board of editors in September and the article-writing process began. It is expected that final proofreading and production will be complete in December.

On 23 June, the AHA Centre and the Palu City administration in Indonesia launched the ASEAN Village along with a book called New Homes of Opportunities that documents the lessons learned from building the ASEAN Village, with testimonies from the beneficiaries and survivors of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2018. Other knowledge products released during the period included four volumes of The Column, season 1 of the AHA Centre podcast and the 2025 AHA Centre work plan. The AHA Centre will work with Edelman, a consultant provided by GIZ, to broaden its communications and outreach, including social media. The AHA Centre will also conduct an assessment of internal communication and crisis communication. The result of the assessment will be used to develop a crisis communication manual.

The AHA Centre engaged in 29 events and knowledge-exchange activities as speaker, participant or moderator, it also took part in 12 training courses, in roles ranging from facilitator and provider to participant and trainer. In further regard to training, during the period Batch Seven of AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme was launched with 21 participants from 10 Member States and 25 training partners with a blended training arrangement involving online, webinars and if possible onsite in 2022.

Overall June to September 2021 was a busy period as the AHA Centre continued to carry out its duties in line with the One ASEAN, One Response concept.

Written by : Michael Hillary Hegarty, Moch Syifa | Photo : AHA Centre

As Mattie Stepanek once said, “Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved”. This is the perfect quote that I think of when we talk about this year’s AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme. Being chosen to join this programme was truly an honor, not only for me but for all the participants. Not everyone working in the field of disaster management gets to be part of this rare opportunity to learn and collaborate with some of the greatest minds in the field, and for that I am very privileged and thankful.

Though the methodology is quite different from previous batches, the AHA Centre still manages to deliver a comprehensive and effective training package for the ACE Programme’s Batch Seven. Aside from all relevant knowledge and information taught to us about disaster management in general, the programme has also introduced us to a variety of new online platforms that make the programme more exciting and interesting.

The ACE Programme is very important for me not only in terms of courses and learning but also in terms of collaboration. It has helped strengthen the partnership of all ASEAN member states to understand the vision of “One ASEAN, One Response” which was thoroughly discussed during our ASEAN Disaster Management Mechanism Course. The course further deepened our knowledge of the ASEAN Charter Principles, how the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response reflects its operational strategy, the core functions of the AHA Centre, and the different regional coordination tools. It also familiarized us with the interoperability or alignment between the AHA Centre disaster-management mechanisms and the various national mechanisms.

True to the ACE Programme theme of “Preparing Future ASEAN Leaders in Disaster Management”, our lectures and courses prepare us not only to become effective leaders in disaster management but also to be contributors and key players in our respective countries’ disaster-resiliency initiatives. The Project Management Course with the learning objective to build and strengthen our competency to design, plan and monitor projects, helped us to enhance our project-management skills that will be very useful for us. Our individual project proposals, as one of our major requirements to finish the programme, will enable us to push ourselves to the best of our limits. This will serve as the application of what we have learned from our previous courses and information sharing. Through the project proposal, the ACE Programme allows us to practice one of the most important roles of a disaster-management leader, to be a project manager who can plan, propose and implement.

Moreover, I really liked the fact that we all get to share our best practices, knowledge, skills and experiences with one another. From the interactive and thought-provoking sessions to the simple discussions and sharing of experiences, I can say that so far this has been a great learning experience and I believe that all of it will help me in my career as a disaster-management professional. I also feel fortunate to have met friends and professionals like me who share the same passion for disaster management.

And as we continue in our ACE Programme journey for the next couple of months, we will undertake all the remaining courses of the programme. Certainly, there will be heaps of future challenges, new experiences and things to learn. I know it will not be easy, but I know that these courses will help us attain the four core competencies that we need to embody as ACE Programme graduates namely, expertise in humanitarian assistance; collaboration in humanitarian assistance; being result-oriented; and effective leadership. With the continued support and encouragement of the AHA Centre, especially the ACE Programme organisers, I know all Batch Seven participants will continue to strive to be the best. We will continue soaring high and dreaming big as a result of the positive results and outcomes of this programme. We know all our hard work and sacrifices will somehow contribute to the disaster resiliency not only of our respective countries but also for the whole of the ASEAN region.

Written by: Nova Eloiza, ACE Programme Batch Seven – the Philippines |  Photo Credit : Nova Eloiza Ybañez

Throughout September – October 2021, we were given the opportunity to study several interesting topics related to disaster management in Batch Seven of the ACE Programme. We started with the gender, inclusion, resilience and diversity course. We were introduced to the Humanitarian Inclusion Standards that help organisations tackle the critical issue of how to include those most at risk in emergencies and prevent anyone from being left behind.

We got to learn about the importance of the nine inclusion standards and how to improve inclusivity by applying the sector standards. Besides that, the course addressed sexual gender-based violence and child-protection issues too. Through this course, we got to relate to real-world situations where a leader can recognize the different impacts of hazards on various levels of capacity, vulnerability and exclusion among the affected communities. The Programme then continued with the international humanitarian system course; ASEAN disaster management; system and design thinking; humanitarian diplomacy; civil-military coordination; camp coordination camp management; and finally the course that I enjoyed the most, post disaster needs assessment (PDNA).

Some might wonder why PDNA? It was because the course was related to my current position in the post-disaster sector. Even though I am not directly under the section in charge of this matter, it is related and relevant to my job scope. It was fascinating to discover tools and templates to carry out the PDNA, which may be adapted and adopted to our system in calculating the costs and losses in any disaster. The PDNA process is government-led and government-owned, but we can access technical support and facilitation from the European Union, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and other stakeholders as determined and requested by our respective governments. The PDNA process involves the participation of the affected population, local authorities, NGOs, donors, civil society and the private sector. I believe it is an excellent platform to gather all relevant input from related stakeholders. Key sectors assessed are social, including housing, health and nutrition; education and cultural heritage; productive issues, including agriculture and irrigation, commerce and industry, and tourism; infrastructure, including transport, energy, telecommunications, water and sanitation; and cross-cutting concerns, including gender and social inclusion, the environment, social protection, livelihoods, disaster-risk reduction and governance. Due to limited time, we only got to study two key sectors, housing and cross-cutting concerns. It is hoped that we will get another opportunity to learn how to use the other key sectors in accessing the costs and losses in our countries. Overall, it was an enjoyable and safe learning environment and experience that allowed us to express our opinions and thoughts in a non-judgemental environment. I cannot wait for the next course to treasure the knowledge and experience, even though it is online!

Written by: Siti Nur Afiqah, ACE Programme Batch Seven- Malaysia  |  Photo Credit : Siti Nur Afiqah

I have been working as a paramedic since 2012 with the Emergency Medical Ambulance Services, the Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam. In 2015, I was selected as an ambulance commander to lead the emergency-response teams during Brunei’s 33rd National Day. I was then promoted to paramedic training officer and professional development in 2018 and was given greater responsibility to take care of all the paramedics nationwide in terms of their training and competency levels. On top of that, I have worked in high-pressure environments in life-threatening emergency situations, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, I have also collaborated and worked closely with academic institutions and agencies in Brunei to expand and promote learning opportunities in paramedic education for our future generations. I hope to deliver my very best virtually in the ACE Programme in the context of capacity building and adopting best practices in disaster management.

When I was told about joining Batch Seven of the ACE Programme, I honestly did not know what it was all about until emails began to arrive in my inbox. I was told it was a good opportunity for me to learn about leadership in disaster management in ASEAN countries but I was still uncertain about it. Good thoughts came later and I asked myself “why not?” To me, the ACE Programme is a selective and prestigious programme that any future leader should appreciate. As a result of the training, I am able to maximise my understanding into becoming an effective future leader.

We are now in our eighth week of the ACE Programme and let me tell you, it has been a roller coaster ride for all of us since Day One. So far, we have covered lessons/modules on English communication in disaster management (ECDM); critical incident leadership (CIL); gender, resilience, inclusion and diversity (GRID); the international humanitarian system and ASEAN disaster mechanisms and there is lots more to come. The learning approach is different in comparison with previous ACE Programmes due to the pandemic and there has not been any physical contact yet among us.

So far, it has been a successful and exciting journey as we are using adult learning methodologies in a safe learning environment and utilising online techniques to maximise our learning capacity despite the challenges faced along the way. This blended learning practice is equally as engaging as face-to-face sessions. We have learnt so much from disaster experts and we have yet to find ourselves and to create our own leadership identity through this programme. On top of that, we are also learning through real life experiences from colleagues in other ASEAN Member States who are in the same boat as we are. Indeed, experience is a great teacher.

I am very grateful to everyone who has been involved in the ACE Programme, and it is very true that this is a golden experience for the future leaders of tomorrow in disaster management. Following up on what I have said, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the ACE Programme partners, JAIF as the main funder of this programme, as well as the support from the New Zealand Government, United States Government, United Nations partners, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, GNS Science, AADMER Partnership Group, RedR Australia, the United States Forest Service, academic institutions: MIIS, AIM and APCSS. And most importantly, the AHA Centre for making this happen and possible in preparing us to master various aspects of disaster management.

We still have to soldier on until April 2022. I really hope that travel may be permitted in the near future and I will be able meet my fellow ACE family members face-to-face to continue learning and supporting each other. I am also looking forward to building and strengthening my networks and collaborating with other people from different backgrounds in disaster management.

To me, this is just the beginning and every day is a learning experience. I wish all the best to the other warriors! And I hope the COVID-19 pandemic will be over soon so we can meet each other in the near future. Cheers!

Written by: Noor Hazmah Rosli, ACE Programme Batch Seven- Brunei Darussalam  |  Photo Credit : Noor Hazmah Rosli