VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 5 - Indonesia, as chief of the ASEAN Committee in Rome (ACR), has encouraged strong cooperation between Italy and the regional grouping in disaster management.

“We (Italy and ASEAN member states) are located in natural disaster-prone regions. ASEAN member states are aware of the importance of this disaster management effort, both at national and regional levels, through ASEAN," said Indonesian Ambassador to Italy, Esti Andayani, in her capacity as the ACR chief, in a written statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Rome on Thursday.

She made the remarks at the opening of an online training course on civil protection organized by the Italian government for ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Aid for Disaster Management (AHA Center).

ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

The online training course was opened virtually on Wednesday (February 3, 2021) and attended by officials from the Italian Foreign Ministry, the Civil Protection Department, ASEAN ambassadors to Italy, Italian ambassadors to ASEAN member states, representatives from the AHA Center, CIMA Foundation, and Italian research institutions, among others.

"Of course, the online training course this time demonstrates the importance of (establishing) cooperation (and) sharing experience, knowledge, and skill in the field of disaster management and proves the ASEAN-Italy partnership is useful for all of us. We, the ACR, will surely continue to support any effort to enhance the cooperation," Andayani said.

She then listed several important achievements of the ASEAN in natural disaster management, including the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) of 2005, the establishment of the AHA Center in Jakarta in 2011, and the Declaration of One ASEAN One Response, ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management, and the AADMER Work Program 2021-2025.

The training course organized by the Italian government comprised two courses, one on early warning systems and another on disaster risk management.

Twenty-four participants from ASEAN member states, the AHA Center, and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) attended the course. (Antaranews)