SDC’S SUPPORT TO THE AHA CENTRE:
ENHANCING CAPACITIES OF THE AMS AND AHA CENTRE THROUGH THE SECONDMENT PROGRAMME
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has been a steadfast supporter of the AHA Centre since 2017. In the first collaboration, SDC and the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) supported preparations for the 2018 ARDEX, in particular by deploying experts to support scenario development and referee training. Following the success of this initial collaboration, SDC and the AHA Centre then signed a new Memorandum of Intent (MoI) that is much broader in scope.
Phase I of the collaboration was implemented in 2020-2021. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitment between SDC and the AHA Centre to enhance collaboration remained strong. This led to the continuation of the second phase of the MoI, with covered a longer period in order to achieve more strategic objectives and allow greater flexibility in implementing activities.
The MoI for the second phase was signed during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (AMMDM) on 2 August 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. This MoI outlined a two-year collaboration between the AHA Centre and SDC, spanning from 2022 to 2024. One of the components in this collaboration is capacity development through the implementation of a secondment programme for the ASEAN Member States and AHA Centre staff.
The secondment programme has two main objectives. First, to support the capacity development of both National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMOs) and AHA Centre staff, particularly on disaster monitoring and analysis. This capacity development will be achieved through an increased understanding and better awareness of the operational mechanisms in both the AHA Centre and the NDMOs for monitoring and analysing disasters and hazards. The second objective is to create better operational working relationships between the AHA Centre and the NDMOs, through increased familiarity with each other’s operational structures.
This programme, set to continue until 2024, allows the AHA Centre to support four secondments from NDMOs to the AHA Centre annually, as well as four secondments from the AHA Centre to the NDMOs, for a maximum duration of two weeks each.
The first batch of the secondment programme was conducted on 16-27 October 2023, with participation from six NDMO staff coming from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, and Viet Nam. During this programme, the secondees worked together with Jakarta-based AHA Centre staff, in the Disaster Monitoring and Analysis (DMA) and Preparedness and Response (P&R) Units. They also had the opportunity to visit the ASEAN Secretariat and the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) of BNPB Indonesia.
Beyond the secondment programme, the collaboration also includes several activities, including other capacity building programmes. All activities under this collaboration will contribute to the implementation of the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025 and the AHA Centre Work Plan 2025.
Written by: Moch Syifa | Photos by: AHA Centre
