The third meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) working group on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief was held yesterday in Vietnam's coastal central province of Khanh Hoa.
Representative of an enterprise giving donation to an old woman in Quang Binh province, whose house was destroyed by a storm in 2013
The event, co-chaired by Vietnam and China, drew 50 officials and experts from 17 ADMM+ members and the ASEAN Secretariat.
Addressing the meeting, Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, stressed that cooperation, sharing information and mobilising resources between member countries might contribute to preventing severe consequences of natural disasters and climate change.
Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief will continue to be a priority for member countries, particularly as the region braces for increasingly frequent and dangerous natural disasters, he said.
A representative from Vietnam shared the lessons drawn from the ASEAN Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise hosted by the country last year. Meanwhile, a Japanese delegate spoke of his nation's experience in sending armed forces to join humanitarian and disaster relief activities.
During the three-day event, delegates are also reviewing the group's operations from the 2011-13 period and proposing an action plan for the 2014-16 period.
The first ADMM+ meeting took place in October 2010 in Hanoi. At that time, it was agreed to promote cooperation in five sectors: humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, marine security, military medicine, anti-terrorism and peacekeeping.
Laos and Japan will take over as co-chairs from Vietnam and China for the 2014-16 experts' working group.
