After two years of meeting online, the 17th AHA Centre Governing Board (GB) meeting was held in hybrid format on 19 October 2022 as part of the 41st Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM), 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (AMMDM), 11th Conference of the Parties to AADMER (COP to AADMER) and Related Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting was chaired by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Management of Thailand.

During the meeting, the AHA Centre reported the activities conducted by the Centre from June to September 2022. It was a busy period as many activities that were previously held online were now being conducted face-to-face or in hybrid format. Within the reporting period, the AHA Centre was engaged in a total of 26 events and knowledge exchanges. Among these events, the AHA Centre was the organiser/co-organiser of 17 events, and participated in 12 events. The AHA Centre also organised or participated in 29 training activities and courses.

From June to September 2022, the AHA Centre’s Disaster Monitoring and Analysis Unit had recorded 418 disaster events in the ASEAN Disaster Information Network (ADINet) and disseminated 7 flash updates, 3 situation updates, 18 weekly disaster updates, and prepared 4 monthly disaster reviews and seasonal outlooks. The AHA Centre also conducted preparedness and response activities for the ASEAN Member States affected by Tropical Cyclone NORU, including the Philippines, Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Cambodia, and Thailand. Flash Update #1 and #2 were issued on 24 and 26 September 2022 respectively, followed by the issuance of Situation Update #1 on 27 September, Situation Update #2 on 28 September, and Situation Update #3 on 30 September 2022. Two Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) briefings were also held in response to Tropical Cyclone NORU, the first on 25 September 2022, and the second on 26 September 2022. The second EOC briefing was attended by all staff of the AHA Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat, to discuss the latest information on Tropical Cyclone NORU and the possibility of support that ASEAN and the AHA Centre can provide.

Following the meeting, the AHA Centre officially launched the second phase of the Project on Implementation of the Memorandum of Intent (MoI) of the AHA Centre and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which will contribute to enhancing the capacity of the AHA Centre and ASEAN Member States in responding to disasters.

The Governing Board took note of the AHA Centre’s achievements within the reporting period, and commended the Centre for being on track to completing the majority of the activities planned for 2022. The AHA Centre is grateful for the continued guidance and support extended by the Governing Board, and hopes to carry forward the success of this year to 2023.

THE ACTIVITIES REPORTED WITHIN THIS PERIOD ALSO INCLUDED

The AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme on-site course
10 June – 10 August 2022, Thailand

The ASCEND Assessor Training
27 June-1 July 2022, in Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam

The 13th ASEAN-Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) Induction Course
20-28 July 2022, in Hua Hin, Thailand

The 11th Meeting of the ASEAN-ERAT Advisory Group and 3rd Meeting of the Project Steering Committee for the ASEAN-ERAT Phase II Project
29 July 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand

The 2nd Emergency Operations Centre Exercise (EOCX)
3-4 August 2022, on-site at the AHA Centre and via video conference

The ACE Programme Graduation Ceremony and Evaluation Workshop
8 August 2022, Thailand

The 2nd Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting of the “Strengthening AHA Centre’s Capability to Respond Effectively to Human Induced Crises” (AHA-Australia)
29 August 2022, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia

The 2nd ASEAN Joint Disaster Response Plan (AJDRP) Workshop
31st August 2022, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia

Participation of ASEAN-ERAT members in the INSARAG Asia Pacific Regional Earthquake Response Exercise
5-8 September 2022, in Bali, Indonesia

The 5th ASCEND Project Steering Committee Meeting
6 September 2022, via video conference

The 7th Project Steering Committee Meeting of the ACE Programme
6 September 2022, via video conference

The 2nd AIM-Net Meeting & Workshop
12-14 September 2022, in Jakarta Indonesia and via video conference

The ASCEND Benchmarking Visit to South Korea,
26-30 September 2022, in South Korea

The ASEAN-ERAT Level 2 Course on Rapid Needs and Damage Assessment
26-30 September 2022, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The ASEAN-ERAT Level 2 Course on Information Management
3-7 October 2022, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The ARMOR 3rd Edition Public Launch and Webinar
11 October 2022, via video conference.

As part of the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme, participants are engaged in a range of presentations from disaster management leaders who are at the forefront of their field in both ASEAN and beyond. In one of these recent sessions, women humanitarians became the central theme in a session focused on Women Leaders in Emergency Response: Challenges and Opportunity. ACE Programme participants and other interested listeners were privileged to hear from three of the region’s women leaders – namely Alexandre Jing Pura (Christian Aid, the Philippines), Rabeya Sultana (HelpAge International, Bangladesh), and Vanda Lengkong (Plan International Asia Region) – who shared their experiences, insights and knowledge from their work as humanitarian leaders in the emergency response sector. The session was moderated by the AHA Centre’s Executive Director Ms. Adelina Kamal, another leader in the region’s disaster management affairs.

The panel highlighted the importance of women’s leadership in disaster settings, particularly due to the fact that disaster affects women, boys and girls on a much greater scale than men. Jing Pura highlighted that women leaders working in humanitarian settings can transform leadership holistically into the mind, body and heart, as these are key underlying drivers of humanitarian work in general. In the humanitarian world there needs to be care not only for survivors, but also for humanitarian and disaster workers. As leaders in disaster response, this is a key theme that we must develop within our teams. Women as leaders can also channel their caring character when taking on roles such as mediation in challenging situations.

Rabeya’s insight and experiences are also based upon this theme of women’s strengths in leadership, in which she spoke of the power of women being reflected not only through motherhood, but also in their roles standing by the side of other women to empower them. She also highlighted that a key to working well with people of diverse backgrounds is to be humble and to listen, and that as leaders, we should solve problems by focusing on the system and not individuals acting within it. Rabeya realises that barriers for women can sometimes come from within themselves, due to self-confidence or the impact of the overall gender context. She reminded listeners that women must learn to push through discomfort, lack of confidence and shyness, and learn to believe in themselves, their knowledge and experience as women.

Vanda also provided insight on the importance of women’s education, while recommending women leaders to be visible in a professional manner, embrace your potential, and continue to chase education and new knowledge. Education for Vanda means not only in a formal manner, but also all other types of learning, in which women can equip themselves with knowledge as their own investment – an investment that will generate respect and recognition, that is then proven through working outcomes. Vanda believes that actions speak louder than words, and encouraged the audience to undertake their work sincerely, and deliver it respectfully. Vanda also highlighted the role of organisations in promoting women’s leadership and overall gender equality, by stating that organisations in the disaster management field must provide equal opportunities for both women and men, and that these values should be institutionalised in humanitarian organisations and within their overall business processes.

As people who work in disaster response, the three women leaders remain aware and agree on the importance of both men and women working side-by-side for the benefit of disaster victims. As leaders, they believe that we must recognise that gender discrimination and inequality are ongoing realities. The leaders reminded the group to advocate for gender equality, which will require such efforts from both women and men alike to achieve real equality.

Written by : Sridewanto Pinuji and Putri Mumpuni | Photo : AHA Centre