CONTINUING REGIONAL EFFORTS ON
BUILDING ASEAN-ERAT CAPACITY FOR RESPONSE
The AHA Centre has progressed significantly towards achieving the vision of its ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) Transformation Plan, that was developed back in 2015. Aiming to strengthen ASEAN’s preparedness and response capacity – to support collective, fast, and reliable disaster responses in accordance with humanitarian standards – the organisation is moving towards the finalisation of the ASEAN-ERAT Transformation Plan’s initial 5-year period.
Contributing to the overall realisation of the Transformation Plan, on 31 March 2020 the AHA Centre, supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), successfully concluded a 4-year project titled “ASEAN-ERAT Transformation Project”. Based on project evaluation results, the AHA Centre made significant contributions to the outcomes of the Transformation Plan, including:
Establishing and conducting regular ASEAN-ERAT Advisory Group meetings and ASEAN-ERAT In-country Networks with 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS)
Developing an ASEAN-ERAT publication as part of the AHA Centre’s knowledge series, and circulating ASEAN-ERAT activities through the AHA Centre’s monthly bulletin
Updating ASEAN-ERAT Guidelines
Maintaining the Emergency Alerts system
Developing ASEAN-ERAT Manager Web and Mobile Applications
Establishing online course platform used to reinforce the delivery of face-to-face ASEAN-ERAT courses
Developing advance course curriculum and piloting the trainings; i.e. Rapid Needs Assessment, Information Management, Humanitarian Logistics, Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination, and Early Recovery; that have increased the capacity of ASEAN-ERAT to provide technical assistance to AMS, including support during the early recovery phase
Conducting Training of Trainers (TOT) that have enabled the AHA Centre to gain support from graduates to conduct ASEAN-ERAT courses
Successfully establishing an operational support group with partners from Map Action, Télécoms Sans Frontières, and DHL, that has supported ASEAN-ERAT large-scale operations, such as during the 7,4M Earthquake in Palu, Indonesia
Successfully training 322 ASEAN-ERAT members from 10 AMS
Deploying trained ASEAN-ERAT members to actual emergencies and simulation exercises
With an array of natural disasters experienced over the last 12 years, the trained ASEAN-ERAT members were deployed to many disaster responses. Of the 28 ASEAN-ERAT deployments in the past 12 years, one of the most interesting experiences was deployment to the 2018 Central Sulawesi Earthquake and Tsunami, within which the AHA Centre deployed 28 members to reinforce the Indonesian NDMO with many support mechanisms including coordination and the facilitation of incoming relief assistance. Another unique mission was the ASEAN-ERAT response to human-induced disaster in Rakhine State, Myanmar. This mission was executed upon request from the Government of Myanmar, entrusting ASEAN-ERAT to conduct a preliminary needs assessment to identify areas of cooperation, that in turn could support the repatriation of displaced persons to Rakhine State.
Exercising inter-operability of ASEAN-ERAT and UNDAC during Central Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in 2018, signifying better coordination and collaboration between the two.
Acknowledging tangible support from ASEAN-ERAT members, the AHA Centre aims to continue the ASEAN-ERAT capacity building programme supported by the JAIF, which will be undertaken through ASEAN-ERAT Phase 2 project entitled “Strengthening ASEAN’s Collective Response Capacity through the Enhancement of the Capacity Building of the Regional ASEAN-ERAT”. This will be further strengthened through support from the European Union as part of the “EU Support to AHA Centre” (EU SAHA) project. It will ensure that the AHA Centre can equip more ERAT members for disaster response by continuing the capacity building efforts, particularly on the roll-out of the advanced courses that were piloted in 2018 – 2019. Considering the situation of COVID-19 pandemic, all the advanced courses planned in 2020 are moved to 2021.
Written by : ASEAN-ERAT Project Management Team | Photo : AHA Centre
