Thursday, 15/09/2016 16:42 (GMT+7)
(CPV) - The ASEM conference on disaster risk reduction and management held on September 14th-15th in Central Da Nang city, highlighted the importance of innovation and technology in better preparing for natural disasters.
Photo: thst.vn
ASEM, or Asia-Europe Meeting, is the most influential comprehensive partnership between Asia and Europe.
"Last year in Sendai we agreed on what needs to be done to reduce the risk of disasters. We have ambitious goals; if we want to achieve them, we need the best possible tools. We have to explore unbeaten paths and look at what we do with a fresh pair of eyes. Moreover, we are facing a global problem - the climate change, with rising sea levels and severe droughts, has left its marks on our continents, and we won't succeed without international cooperation," said Mr Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
During the conference, experts from ASEM countries have shared their experience on specific projects, which successfully integrate the latest technologies and innovations into disaster management. They have also discussed how to bring together disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and sustainable development, and integrate them into a single “resilience framework”.
The EU, which is one of ASEM's co-chairs, has repeatedly delivered on its commitment to help, as seen in the EU response to typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in the Philippines (2013), where both humanitarian aid and civil protection assistance were mobilized.
In Asia, the EU finances disaster risk reduction as well a recovery action through the EU disaster preparedness ECHO program (DIPECHO) and through the EU development funding.
The EU consistently encourages deeper cooperation in the area of disaster risk reduction and management, and promotes an Asia-Europe common approach to the implementation of the renewed international UN framework for disaster risk reduction (2015-2030), adopted in 2015 in Sendai, Japan./.
ATP