ASEAN, Russia to enhance cooperation in disaster management

JAKARTA, 19 February 2021 — Today, ASEAN and Russia signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ASEAN and the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Field of Disaster Management to promote and develop their engagement in the area of disaster management.

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation between the two sides in areas such as risk assessment, emergency response, and capacity building, since first engaging on this issue in 2012.

This agreement also marks a significant milestone in ASEAN’s longstanding and multifaceted dialogue relations with Russia, which dates back to 1991 and encompasses all three pillars of the ASEAN Community comprised of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi signed the MoU in presence of the Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to ASEAN, current Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, Hairani Tajuddin and the Russian Ambassador to ASEAN Alexander Ivanov.

Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters Yevgeny Zinichev also signed the MOU in a separate event.

ASEAN countries are located in one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world, ranging from earthquakes, floods, landslides and typhoons. The wide geographic stretch of incidences, and increasing frequency of disasters require ASEAN to enhance the region’s readiness and emergency response capacity.

Source: ASEAN Secretariat