On January 26 2021 the AHA Centre, together with the Pacific Disaster Centre (PDC) and the National Disaster Management Authority of Indonesia (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana – BNPB), had the honour of witnessing the virtual handover ceremony of InAWARE and the Disaster Monitoring and Response System (DMRS). InAWARE and DMRS are the life-saving technology projects developed collaboratively and with funding support from USAID and its Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. Both technologies have been customised for the specific needs of Indonesia’s BNPB and the AHA Centre, as well as being developed to support hazard monitoring, disaster response, regional cooperation, and early warning across ASEAN.

Deputy Executive Director of the PDC Mr Chris Chiesa highlighted that although these two projects officially closed this year, the relationship with all partners is only becoming stronger, and he also preferred to use the term ‘handover ceremony’ as opposed to ‘closing ceremony’. “This is a very proud moment for all of us to be handing over InAWARE and DMRS for their operational utilisation by the BNPB. I think you are all aware that the InAWARE grant ended recently in December 2020, and the AHA Centre activity that is part of the regional development capacity grant is also nearing its end. However, our relationship will be even stronger that when it started”, said Mr Chiesa. The PDC’s Executive Director Mr. Ray Shirkhoday also echoed these thoughts, when he stated “It’s a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with so many of the people joining us today. We see these relationships, developed over many years, as lasting partnerships, and we look forward to continued engagement with you all”.

Mr. Bambang Surya Putra, the Head of BNPB’s Emergency Operation Centre, highlighted the important of strong partnerships between the BNPB, PDC, and the AHA Centre. “We have been able to use InAWARE for our COVID-19 response, improving the quality of our operations, linking field and manager level, and helping us provide good information to the public” he said. He hopes that InAWARE can be utilised and maximised in the future by all provincial departments across the nation to provide accurate information related to disaster. Mr Bambang also agreed that this partnership should continue, saying that “we must continue to work side-by-side with our partners to further enhance the use of InAWARE within BNPB and provincial departments”.

For the AHA Centre this partnership forms one of its most important achievements. The DMRS has allowed the AHA Centre to better undertake its key function as the operational coordination engine of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), and also as the primary regional coordinating agency under the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on One ASEAN One Response. “It’s been a privilege for the AHA Centre to work with the PDC under ASEAN-US cooperation platform since our establishment nine years ago” stated Ms Adelina Kamal, the Executive Director of the AHA Centre, during the handover ceremony. “DMRS, powered by the PDC’s DisasterAware, is a customised near real-time disaster monitoring tool for the AHA Centre, and has been internalised and mainstreamed into our day-to-day disaster monitoring and response operations.”

The DMRS has already played a significant role in assisting ASEAN Member States and providing a common operating picture for multiple hazard situations across the region, as well as supporting the delivery of regional risk analyses assigned to the AHA Centre under the AADMER. From the DMRS, ASEAN Member States such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam have also been able to adopt elements to develop similar platforms at the country level, and the EOC’s in Lao PDR and Myanmar have also incorporated the AHA Centre DMRS.

Written by : Moch Syifa | Photo Credit : The AHA Centre

The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is an Asian pioneer in management education based in Manila, the Philippines. Founded in 1968 by a consortium of prominent business leaders, Philippine academic institutions, and the Harvard Business School, AIM works to empower students to thrive in challenging, rapidly shifting environments. Their overall mission is to sustain the growth of Asian businesses and societies, by developing professional, entrepreneurial, and socially-responsible leaders and managers.

In 2018, AIM launched a number of programmes about Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), with a specific focus towards leadership and management. This area of study came about as a response to the key challenge of rising numbers of emergencies, crises and disasters across Asia. In the first DRR programme from the institute – the Strategic Disaster Risk Management and Leadership programme (SDRMLP) – AIM invited the Deputy Executive Director of the AHA Centre, Mr Arnel Capili, to present in Manila. Mr Capili talked about the AHA Centre and its role in DRR management, which provided a practical perspective to support the students learnings from AIM. This initial small partnership drove AIM to return the support to the AHA Centre by offering its strategic thinking and leadership professors to the AHA Centre to teach in the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme, supported by Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) and over 20 training partners.

Since this initial engagement, both the AHA Centre and AIM have continued to support each other’s programmes with AIM’s SDRMLP utilising resource speakers from the AHA Centre, and the ACE Programme strengthened by AIM’s delivery of the Strategic Thinking and Humanitarian Diplomacy course. This ongoing engagement is supporting both organisations to bridge the science and policy gap in ASEAN disaster management, and ensure mutual value is recognised through the development of diverse and deep ASEAN disaster management skills and capacities. It also increases and expands diversity and opportunity in the sector across the region, and promotes stronger interventions and outcomes from academic and implementing agencies in disaster management.

The future is also bright for this partnership, as well as other partnerships between the AHA Centre and regional academic institutions. Opportunities for the AHA Centre and the ASEAN region to improve and strengthen data utilisation are clear, as AIM holds one of the fastest super computers in the region. With the AHA Centre’s access to regional data alongside AIM’s super computer and data scientists, opportunities to develop collaborations for disaster data analytics hold strong potential. Co-developing and implementing certified training courses – similar to the ACE Programme’s Strategic Thinking and Humanitarian Diplomacy course – is also a valuable consideration for the future.

Written by : Moch Syifa | Photo Credit : The AHA Centre & Asian Institute of Management

The Integrated Programme in Enhancing the Capacity of AHA Centre and ASEAN Emergency Response Mechanisms, known as the EU-SAHA programme, is an initiative aimed to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of the AHA Centre in order to achieve operational excellence in disaster monitoring and emergency response, as well as enhance mechanisms for ASEAN leadership to ‘respond as one’ through excellence and innovation in disaster management.

Funded through a partnership with the European Union, the programme is being implemented across four years from December 2019 to December 2023, utilising a total fund amount of EUR 7.2 million. The EU has also awarded funding to the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency and the Estonian Rescue Board to complement activities directly implemented by the AHA Centre through this programme, in the form of the Leveraging ASEAN Capacities for Emergency Response (LACER) project. LACER will be implemented with an overall focus on institutional capacity development to augment sustainability and utilisation of AHA Centre’s operational capacity. The project is also aligned with the ASEAN-EU Plan of Action (2018-2022), more specifically within the “Enhance cooperation on Crisis and Disaster Management” objective found within the plan.

The AHA Centre also forms the operational counterpart of the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) under the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO). These above initiatives and more will enable ASEAN and the European Union to further strengthen their partnership in disaster management and disaster risk reduction across their respective regions, through a sustained longer-term institutional collaborative effort that is in line with their commitments and obligations at the global level. The launching ceremony for the EU-SAHA programme was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on 27 January 2020. The Secretary-General of ASEAN H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, the Ambassador of European Mission to ASEAN H.E. Igor Driesmans, and the Executive Director of the AHA Centre Ms Adelina Kamal were all in attendance at the opening ceremony.

The AHA Centre is utilising a multi-level approach to implement the programme, which is undertaken by engaging at national, regional, and inter-regional levels within ASEAN and the EU. At the regional level, the AHA Centre focuses on the implementation of regional activities that involve all ASEAN Member States, which is also in line with the AADMER Work Programme and the AHA Centre Work Plan, alongside other key documents on disaster management that have been adopted by ASEAN Leaders. At national level, it focuses on facilitation of required training and activities aimed to increase the capacity and capabilities of Member States on disaster management, with the National Disaster Management Organisations forming the main national focal points. On the inter-regional level, the key focus is the exchange of knowledge and training between the AHA Centre and the ASEAN Member States with relevant EU and UN institutions, and other international organisations. The primary aim at this level is to enhance skills and capacity to prepare for responding both inside and outside the regions.

Written by : Moch Syifa | Photo : AHA Centre

The Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany supports the process of regional integration in the ASEAN region with capacity development aiming at strengthening the AHA Centre. It has entrusted Germany’s GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit Gmb) with the implementation of its most recent project in cooperation with the AHA Centre, aimed to strengthen the capacities and work processes of the AHA Centre’s corporate units by supporting institutional and capacity development efforts.

The German Federal Government had previously developed the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as a network that brought together German and international disaster stakeholders from government, the private sector, academia and civil society. Its objective was to develop customised solutions to specific challenges in disaster risk management and to meet global demand by devising high-quality, innovative and sustainable approaches, with several of ASEAN Member States engaged in the pilot project.

More recently, Germany has developed a new programme with the AHA Centre focused on Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Development (Capacities4AHAC), that is a stand-alone measure implemented through the agreement between the ASEAN and the Federal Republic of Germany. This regional project works alongside the AHA Centre and selected national civil protection authorities and civil society organisations, and aims to support ASEAN Member State integration and cooperation, contributing to stability, peace and security in the ASEAN region.

To become the leading organisation for ASEAN’s disaster management – including leading capacity building and becoming a knowledge and information centre – the AHA Centre needs to be equipped with strong institutional capacities and corporate units. Therefore, the project will support the AHA Centre to strengthen the capacities and work processes of the corporate units of the AHA-Centre.

The project approach incorporates various elements of capacity development, with a focus on personnel development of specialists and executives, long-term and short-term expert assignments, study tours, eLearning, and expert dialogues. Capacity development needs and instruments are identified and applied in close cooperation with the AHA Centre in order to achieve the best possible results and impacts. Through the cooperation with other relevant projects commissioned by the German Foreign Office, this project ensures synergy and a strengthening of the German contribution and its visibility in the ASEAN region.

The project implementation will be carried out in close cooperation and coordination with the AHA Centre in Jakarta, other dialogue and development partners working in ASEAN, as well as with the German Embassy in Jakarta and Foreign Office in Berlin. It will run throughout 2020 and 2021, and delivered under a budget of € 800,000 managed by GIZ.

Written by : Ina Rachmawati | Photo : Private collection

The University of Canterbury and the AHA Centre have held a long and close relationship since the AHA Centre’s early years after establishment, with the university continuously sharing disaster response knowledge with ASEAN nations, particularly through its engagement with the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme since 2014.

The University of Canterbury (UC) has catered to the demand for university level emergency management professional development and education since 2013. ACE Programme participants have benefited from UC’s dynamic disaster management faculty, who have been delivering short courses and qualifications, driven by their internal team’s international experience in the field of disaster management.

As part of the ACE Programme curriculum, the University of Canterbury has delivered the Critical Incident Leadership (CIL) course since the programme began in 2014. The course introduced participants to various hazards, and engaged them on the essentials of critical incident leadership competencies. In Jakarta, participants learnt about a range of hazards in New Zealand, as well as the institutional structures and policies that govern New Zealand’s disaster risk management processes.

The second phase of the CIL course is a 150-hour component delivered in various locations across New Zealand. This phase concentrates on the development of strategic thinking, proactive planning, decision-making, situational awareness, communication, coordination, and collaboration. Through field visits, the ACE Programme participants also interacted with emergency management practitioners, and experience first-hand exposure to various stakeholders – both experts and community – on how they understand their risks, prepare for, respond, and recover from disasters.

Participants were also immersed in the multicultural nature of New Zealand’s population, and see how the nation’s disaster management strategies take advantage of this diversity to strengthen their disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation efforts. The delivery of the Critical Incident Leadership Course in Jakarta and New Zealand is supported by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Written by : Ina Rachmawati, Ferosa Arsadita | Photo : AHA Centre

The Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC) was established in response to the series of large disasters in Indonesia leading up to the significant 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. It initially formed as an ad-hoc team to support the response and recovery after the big earthquake and other disasters. After the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, the team then worked with other groups in the Muhammadiyah network to engage in disaster responses after other natural disasters. The Muhammadiyah organisation then affirmed the team to become an official body under the Muhammadiyah Central Board, and finally to be recognised as the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC) in 2010.

Inspired by the wide network of Muhammadiyah (Islamic organisation) members across Indonesia, as well as in response to Indonesia’s extensive disaster vulnerabilities, the MDMC was formed to overcome disaster impacts, educate communities, and prevent future damage from natural disaster in the country. The MDMC is also committed to developing disaster countermeasure and mitigation programmes that are based on responsive and professional activities under the regulations of Muhammadiyah itself. The MDMC is committed to working beyond the exclusive boundaries of region, religion, race, ethnicity and community group.

Ms Rahmawati Husein, Deputy Chairperson of the MDMC, explained that the MDMC has recently begun to broaden its networks internationally. Although MDMC has never jointly worked together with the AHA Centre, she stated that MDMC has been involved in humanitarian actions and disaster management at the regional level. “The MDMC has been involved in several disaster responses across the region, such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, and the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar during 2016-2017” she said.

Response has become the strength of the MDMC, as it utilises Muhammadiyah’s wide networks across Indonesia and some Southeast Asian countries, allowing MDMC to respond quickly to provide assistance. Additionally, Muhammadiyah is also known for its excellent health facilities and experts who are very valuable within disaster response. “During our mission to Myanmar in 2017, for example, we deployed 54 medical team members to provide health services to the affected communities,” Rahmawati highlighted.

In addition to international collaboration, MDMC was also invited to be one of the speakers in ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management “Building ASEAN’s Resiliency to Disaster” during August 2019 in Singapore. During this event, Rahmawati, as the representative of the MDMC, shared best practices and experiences from MDMC in strengthening local networks in Indonesia, particularly in regards to disaster management and response.

Written by : Moch Syifa | Photo : MDMC

Data and information form the base of key decision making that enables effective and efficient disaster management, and facilitates appropriate and timely emergency response. In order to ensure a well-informed and prompt decision-making process, such data and information have to be available, of high quality, and accessible across the entire emergency management cycle. The AHA Centre Information Management Network (AIM-Net) aims to recommend potential solution to address issues of data and information availability, quality, and accessibility to aid in disaster management and emergency response, and ensure the interoperability of information systems between the National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMOs) of the ASEAN Member States and the AHA Centre.

AIM-Net is a regional forum that facilitates ASEAN Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) practitioners to coordinate and cooperate in strengthening EOC capacities, capabilities and practices. AIM-Net’s formation was a result of recommendations from the ASEAN-ERAT Advisory Group and the ICT Task Force, after being presented to both the ACDM Working Groups on Risk Assessment (WG-RAA) and on Knowledge and Innovation Management (WG-KIM).

AIM-Net was established based on the requests from NDMOs, who wanted to develop a regional framework to support EOCs integrating big data and artificial intelligence into their work. It was also required to promote the development of regional data sharing and data management agreements, and to establish a technical platform to collectively address regional disaster information issues and concerns. This initiative was supported and approved during the 11th Meeting of the Governing Board of the AHA Centre in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in October 2019.

AIM-Net stands as the key first step towards strengthening ASEAN Member States’ Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs), and will consist of the following components:

AIM-Net functions as a platform to develop and implement regional disaster Information management strategy, access information management information system interoperability needs, and develop and reach consensus on information management and information system interoperability taxonomy, specification, standards, and protocols. Its membership and structure includes a focal person from each NDMO, and also ASEAN-ERAT Information Management Specialists. The Chairperson role will rotate among NDMOs (first co-chairs will be nominated during the 1st AIM-Net Meeting), and the AHA Centre Disaster Monitoring and Analysis unit shall work as its secretariat.

Written by : Ina Rachmawati | Photo : AHA Centre

In partnership with the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM), consistent support from the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) on disaster management in ASEAN has been reflected through flagship programmes implemented by the AHA Centre. Since the AHA Centre’s establishment in 2011, based on a shared interest in disaster management, the Government of Japan through JAIF has remained one of the biggest supporters of the regional coordinating agency on disaster management and emergency response, and by extension the ASEAN region that it serves.

Officially established in early 2006, JAIF is a specific funding mechanism developed by the Government of Japan to support the continuous development of the ASEAN Community. Since its establishment JAIF has strengthened the relationship between Japan and the ASEAN region across a range of areas, contributing over USD 650 million to development efforts. Guided by the ASEAN Vision 2025: Forging Ahead Together blueprint, JAIF has funded and supported multiple projects related to disaster management, counter-terrorism, economic integration, youth exchanges, and cultural understanding.

The Government of Japan, through JAIF, was one of the first partners to support the implementation of the region’s vision to establish the AHA Centre. JAIF’s partnership with the AHA Centre is particularly important as it has continued to support a number of multi-year programmes that have significant impact on disaster management capacity development and coordination systems in the region. Since its establishment in November 2011, the AHA Centre has benefitted from over USD 40 million for a range of projects. This sees the Government of Japan – through JAIF – form the largest contributor to the AHA Centre’s programmes overall. Due to such success in the implementation of the range of projects and programmes, the trust and the deepening of knowledge exchange between the Government of Japan and the AHA Centre has been key to launching ASEAN towards its future goal as a global leader in disaster management.

In 2019, the ASEAN launched satellite warehouses in the Philippines and Thailand with support from JAIF through the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) Phase II Project. The two satellite warehouses, in addition to the DELSA Regional Stockpile located in Malaysia, are being utilised for all disaster response efforts – including the current pandemic – across the ASEAN region. The current total funding for the DELSA Phase II Project from JAIF is USD 7.2 million, and is an extension of the original JAIF-funded DELSA programmes implemented previously.

In 2018, JAIF continued its support of the ACE Programme (2018-2021) as a standalone project after the successful implementation of the original four batches, initially funded under the first phase of the DELSA Project (2012-2017). By the end of 2021, the ACE Programme will have produced 122 graduates who are ready to tackle the challenges of increasing disaster and climate risks in the region, and to assist ASEAN in maximising regional disaster response coordination mechanisms.

The ICT Phase IV Project, the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) Transformation Project, and Enhancing the Readiness of Myanmar Government Local Capacity in Providing Humanitarian Assistance to Support the Repatriation Process, are other examples of the AHA Centre’s efforts supported by JAIF. Alongside these, JAIF also supports projects such as the Disaster Risk Reduction by Integrating Climate Change Projection into Flood and Landslide Risk Assessment, and Development of the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025, which are currently being implemented across the ASEAN region.

Written by : Gaynor Tanyang, Ina Rachmawati and JAIF Management Team | Photo : AHA Centre

ASEAN nations hold extensive experience in dealing with various types of disasters in the region, which has in-turn ensured a solid system to train and certify its ASEAN disaster responders. However, as part of on-going development of regional training and standards for responders, it becomes important for ASEAN to benchmark its own training and standards in comparison with countries from outside the region. This has formed the reasoning for the Operationalising the ASEAN Standards and Certification for Experts in Disaster Management (ASCEND) project, under which the AHA Centre and the Republic of Korea’s Korean National Fire Agency (KNFA) have developed their recent partnership.

Starting in late December 2019, the ASCEND project seeks to create a regionally recognised certification scheme for disaster management professionals, in order to ensure and promote higher standards and quality in the management of disasters throughout ASEAN. It aims to ensure the availability of competent disaster management professionals in the region, with strong capacity to manage disasters to reduce the loss of life, respond effectively, recover more quickly, and decrease disaster risks throughout the ASEAN region wherever possible. This initiative is part of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2016-2020, and will also contribute to the realisation of ASEAN’s goal to become a global leader in disaster management by 2025, as expressed in the ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management.

The project will be implemented for three years and cover the pilot period of the ASCEND Framework and Roadmap implementation in collaboration with the KNFA. The pilot will be critical for the development of ASCEND, during which the AHA Centre will focus on the application of ASCEND Framework in a number of ASEAN countries. KNFA will contribute to the ongoing development of ASCEND by deploying their experts and sharing their knowledge and experience on disaster management from the Korean context. Similarly, the KNFA hopes to benefit with new knowledge and experience through its further engagement in the ASEAN region and perspectives. The collaboration between KNFA and the AHA Centre forms a showcase of positive collaboration and learning between individual nations and institutions from the ASEAN region such as the AHA Centre.

A significant learning that ASEAN can obtain from Korea is related to the development of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT). The United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) has certified the KDRT as a Heavy Search and Rescue (SAR) team, meaning that it is considered as one of the leading SAR teams globally. Within ASEAN itself, there are two nations with SAR teams that have successfully obtained the INSARAG Heavy classification – namely the Lionheart team from Singapore and the SMART team from Malaysia. Additionally, the Indonesian BASARNAS (the National Search and Rescue Body) has just received its INSARAG classification as medium Urban SAR in November 2019. Therefore, there is value for ASEAN to learn more about the KDRT, in particular related to how the KDRT maintain its readiness, recruits and trains new members, and maintains its high standards and quality on an ongoing basis. Such knowledge could support and improve the management and training activities of other Search and Rescue Teams within the ASEAN region.

Written by : William Shea | Photo : AHA Centre

2020 will see a new project implemented by the AHA Centre known as LACER – or Shortening the Learning Curve of AHA Centre through Support from EU Civil Protection Agencies.

LACER’s specific objectives are to (1) strengthen the capacity and sustainability of the AHA Centre towards achieving operational excellence in disaster monitoring, preparedness and emergency response, and; (2) to enhance mechanisms for ASEAN leadership to respond as one, through excellence and innovation in disaster management.

As seen in the Column Volume 58, the LACER – or Shortening the Learning Curve of AHA Centre through Support from EU Civil Protection Agencies project will be implemented through a consortium led by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), alongside the Estonian Rescue Board (ERB). In Volume 58’s Partnership article we learnt about the MSB, therefore for this issue we will take a further look into the ERB.

ESTONIAN RESCUE BOARD (ERB)

The Estonian Rescue Board is a public authority under the Estonian Ministry of the Interior. ERB employs over 2,100 people making it the third-largest public sector institution in Estonia. The ERB operates within five key areas, being prevention, safety surveillance, rescue work, explosive ordnance disposal, and emergency management.

As an emergency management authority the ERB has been involved as a partner in developing the emergency services of several disaster-prone nations in the European region, such as working supporting Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine. ERB offers expert knowledge in national and international disaster management and logistics, and delivers training, exercises, advisory services and mentoring to its partners. Depending on the context, ERB can also mobilise external experts from different fields of specialisation for international deployment to disaster, usually within areas such as ICT, health, education and civil engineering.

The ERB has departments that develop, plan and manage activities, as well as Regional Rescue Centres and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre that implements the activities in the field. North, South, East and West Regional Rescue Centres undertake tasks such as day-to-day rescue work, fire safety surveillance, emergency prevention, and crisis management.

ERB is actively involved in European Union cooperation, and is an active member in Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), and has experts in the Union Civil Protection Team (UCPT) and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), as well as in the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP). The ERB is an active partner of the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP), of which it currently sits as chairman until the end of 2020.

The LACER Project is the first consortium project across region involving the AHA Centre, MSB and ERB on Disaster Management Capacity building.

Written by : Ina Rachmawati | Photo : AHA Centre