Stronger Coordination Critical For Faster, More Effective Disaster Responses

From Noraizura Ahmad

NANNING (China), Sept 19 (Bernama) -- As disasters grow in frequency and scale, stronger coordination among countries, humanitarian agencies and other stakeholders has become critical to ensuring faster and more effective responses.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) head of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Marco Tiscano Rivalta, said faster response hinges not only on effective preparedness, but also on multiple actors working together from a shared understanding of disaster risks.

Addressing the Seminar on International Humanitarian Response Coordination at the 3rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Urban Emergency Rescue here today, he said the sheer number of organisations and institutions that mobilise when disasters strike highlights the importance of being prepared.

Marco said response preparedness also encompasses disaster risk reduction through stronger risk knowledge, early warning systems and risk communication, all of which can support effective humanitarian operations.

He said risk information generated through research, scientific institutions and modelling systems must be translated into practical, actionable measures, while early warning systems should be end-to-end, people-centred and linked to early action.

Meanwhile, World Food Programme (WFP) China representative and director Zhao Bing said coordination was particularly important during a crisis as events could unfold rapidly and resources must be mobilised and deployed promptly.

“Every minute counts but coordination will make that happen,” he said.

Zhao said effective coordination could also prevent overlapping or repeated efforts by different responders, particularly when resources are not necessarily the main constraint.

He emphasised that joint exercises, drills and capacity-building activities involving different countries and organisations could help strengthen practical cooperation and partnerships before an actual disaster occurs.

From Malaysia's perspective, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) director of Logistics Mohd Khairi Abd Ghani said that while technical rescue capability could save lives, it was effective collaboration, access and logistics that made such capability work across borders.

He said international rescue missions required multiple elements to work as a single operational chain, from requests for assistance and diplomatic access to the movement of personnel and equipment, as well as operational support on the ground.

He added that Malaysia's experience in international rescue missions showed close coordination among government agencies, diplomatic missions, host countries and regional partners was essential to ensuring teams could be deployed and integrated effectively with local response systems.

The seminar featured 17 speakers who shared perspectives on global and regional frameworks, including representatives from the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), NADMA, Mongolia, Singapore and Thailand.

Co-hosted by China, Laos and Malaysia from Sept 17 to 21, the workshop brings together more than 400 participants, including senior officials from 27 ARF participating countries, as well as representatives of international organisations, experts and practitioners.

The 3rd ARF Workshop on Urban Emergency Search and Rescue is being held under the theme "Artificial Intelligence Empowering Urban Emergency Rescue".

-- BERNAMA