11 November 2013 - Senior Officials of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) expressed their sympathy and solidarity with the Philippines in the wake of super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). Senior Officials urged the Philippines to issue an international appeal for assistance at the earliest possible time. So far, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), India and Hungary have offered their assistance.
ASEM Senior Officials supported the proposal of the Philippine representative, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson, for “greater collaboration and coordination in disaster risk reduction, management and mitigation, including, inter alia, through awareness programmes, early warning systems, the use of innovation and technology search, rescue and relief operations and also post disaster rehabilitation.”
They further agreed to mainstream disaster risk reduction and management in the ASEM agenda.
Assistant Secretary Angara Collinson expressed her sincere appreciation to the outpouring of messages of sympathy from ASEM Partners. She noted that the frequency and increasing intensity of disaster occurrences aggravated by the changing climate patterns affect the most vulnerable communities and individuals.
“I urge ASEM partners to intensify collaboration and coordination in disaster risk reduction and management and to integrate disaster risk reduction and management in their national policies and agenda”, she exhorted.
ASEM countries welcomed the Philippine hosting, together with Switzerland, of an ASEM Conference on Technology and Innovation for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation in September 2014.
The Senior Officials Meeting is a prelude to the 11th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which will be held on 11 and 12 November 2013 in New Delhi, India.
ASEM is the only platform between Asia and Europe for dialogue and cooperation in the three pillars of political, economic and socio-cultural. ASEM is composed of 49 countries, the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Union. END