Philippine Ambassador Highlight ASEAN's Progress on Disaster Risk Reduction at European Parliament Forum

Left to right: Philippine Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda, Member of European Parliament (MEP) Grégory Allione, MEP Barry Andrews, MEP Wouter Beke, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, MEP Pascal Arimont, UNDRR Special Representative Kamal Kishore, and IFRC Chief of Staff Christopher Rassi at the Disaster Preparedness Forum

BRUSSELS 24  February 2025 – Philippine Ambassador to Belgium Jaime Victor B. Ledda joined other high-level panelists in a forum on disaster preparedness held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 February 2025.

The forum was organized by the EU Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management Ms. Hadja Lahbib, along with Members of European Parliament (MEPs) Barry Andrews, Wouter Beke, Gregory Allione and Pascal Arimont. The panel also featured Special Representative Mr. Kamal Kishore of the Office of the UN Undersecretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN DRR) and International

Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Chief of Staff Mr. Christopher Rassi. Focusing on the lessons learned from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the panelists reflected on the achievements over the past 20 years in EU and ASEAN on disaster preparedness and response, the current state of cooperation between the two regions, and ways forward to strengthen EU-ASEAN collaboration on DRR.

Speaking as the current Chair of the ASEAN Brussels Committee, Ambassador Ledda highlighted the significant progress made by ASEAN in institutionalizing frameworks and mechanisms for DRR cooperation, noting in particular the ratification of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), the issuance of the issuance of the One ASEAN, One Response declaration, and the development of the ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management, among others.

Ambassador Ledda likewise recognized the ongoing cooperation between the EU and ASEAN in building both national and regional DRR capacities, noting in particular the active partnerships between the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the AHA Centre. He encouraged both regions to continue exploring ways to advance mutually-beneficial activities, including in harnessing modern technologies and innovation, expanding projects under the Global Gateway facility, and leveraging ASEAN Member States’vast experience and knowledge in dealing with natural disasters and other crises.

The panelists from the European institutions and international humanitarian organizations commended ASEAN’s stature as a global leader in DRR knowledge and innovation. Even with the challenging environment in global development cooperation, they committed to continue supporting EU-ASEAN activities on DRR, highlighting opportunities for capacity-building, and exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices between the regions. END

Ambassador Ledda speaks on ASEAN’s progress in DRR and on EU-ASEAN cooperation at the European Parliament forum.

For more information, visit  https://www.brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHinBelgium/, https://twitter.com/PHinBelgium  or https://www.instagram.com/phinbelgium/.