CO-CHAIRS’ SUMMARY REPORT OF THE

5^TH ARF INTER-SESSIONAL MEETING ON DISASTER RELIEF (ISM DR)

BANDUNG, 30 NOVEMBER-2 DECEMBER 2005

Introduction

1.             As mandated by the 12^th ARF Ministerial Meeting in Vientane, Laos on 29 July 2005, the 5^th ARF Inter-sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief (ISM DR) was held in Bandung, Indonesia on 30 November-2 December 2005.  The Meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Dian Triansyah Djani, Director for Inter-Regional Cooperation for Asia Pacific and Africa, Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and H.E. Dr. Zhenyao Wang, Director General of Department of Disaster and Social Relief, Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The Meeting was attended by delegates from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, United States of America, and Vietnam. The Representatives of the ARF Unit and the Environment Disaster Management Unit of the ASEAN Secretariat, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and United Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) were also present. The list of delegates is attached as ANNEX 1.

2.             The Meeting was aimed at stock-taking the capabilities of individual countries in deploying their civil and military assets to the disaster-affected areas, enhancing civil-military relations in the ARF process on disaster relief operations, exchanging views and experiences on disaster preparedness and relief operations including sharing of information, transfer of knowledge, and capacity building as well as updating the ARF contact points and training institutions on disaster relief. The Meeting also discussed future directions of ARF cooperation with regard to natural disasters. The Agenda of the Meeting appears as ANNEX 2.

AGENDA ITEM 1:       opening session

3.             The Indonesian ARF SOM Leader, H.E. Mr. Herijanto Soeprapto, in his opening remarks stressed the importance of having the 5^th ARF ISM DR since the Asia Pacific region recently experienced a series of natural disasters, inter alia,  tsunami, earthquake, cyclone, and hurricane which affected the livelihood and well being of many people of the ARF participants. In addition, he emphasized the need for the ARF participants to cooperate in order to better prepare the region for such future disasters. The Opening Remarks of the Indonesian ARF SOM Leader appears as ANNEX 3.

4.             H.E. Dr. Zhenyao Wang as Co-Chair thanked the Government of the Republic of Indonesia for hosting this important Meeting. He pointed out that the ARF ISM DR was important for regional cooperation in responding to natural disasters and providing humanitarian relief assistance to the victims in a swift, coordinated, and effective manner. He reiterated China’s commitment to regional cooperation in providing humanitarian assistance in disaster relief. He also stated that China hosted the Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction in Beijing in September 2005 and will co-host the 6^th ARF ISM DR with Indonesia in China. The Opening Remarks of the Chinese Co-Chair appears as ANNEX 4.

AGENDA ITEM 2:       REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS ARF ACTIVITIES ON DISASTER RELIEF

5.             The Vietnamese delegate briefed the Meeting on the Review of ARF Activities on Disaster Relief. He presented the results of the 4^th ISM DR in Ha Noi, Vietnam, 4-6 May 2000.  He stressed that inter-agency coordination, especially between the military and civilian agencies, plays a crucial role in the process of disaster relief. He stated that the early warning system is a critical element in disaster preparedness and mitigation, and recommended the exchange of experience and information sharing, enhancement of regional capacities for disaster preparedness and disaster relief, training on disaster management skills, and promoting greater public awareness. The presentation of the Vietnamese delegate appears as ANNEX 5.

6.             The Philippines delegate presented the results of the ARF Workshop on Civil-Military Operations (CMO) on Disaster Relief held in Manila, 11-14 September 2005 and the necessity to implement the recommendations resultant from the Workshop. He stressed the need to recognize the importance of CMO in meeting regional peace and security challenges and fostering harmonious relationships among ARF participants. He also emphasized the important role played by the armed forces in disaster relief operations and the need to find a common understanding for CMO. The presentation of the Philippines delegate appears as ANNEX 6.

7.             The Meeting was briefed by the Head of the ARF Unit in the ASEAN Secretariat on the Recurring Themes and Recommendations of Previous ARF Meetings on Disaster Relief. He underlined previous discussions and the need for an ARF regional standby arrangement and the exchange of information on disaster management as well as setting up an ARF database of assets and capabilities. He highlighted the importance of continuing with capacity building, particularly in civil-military cooperation in disaster relief as well as raising public awareness. He also reiterated the concept of volunteer countries (“shepherds”) as recommended by the ARF Workshop on CMO in Manila to coordinate the implementation of recommendations of various ARF meetings on disaster relief. The presentation of the ARF Unit Representative appears as ANNEX 7.

8.             The delegate from the Republic of Korea stressed that military assistance is essential in supporting disaster relief activities in the affected areas. In this regard, he believed that, with the diversity of its participants, the ARF can serve as a useful forum for disaster relief. He hoped that the ARF will significantly contribute in this field, in close cooperation with other international agencies, such as the United Nations.

9.             The Indian delegate mentioned two main issues in handling disasters, namely the organization of disaster relief and carrying out the relief itself. He also underlined the importance of forming infrastructure on: early warning systems, carrying out relief, rehabilitation/reconstruction, and training to carry out all the other stages. He also underlined the importance of providing immediate response to disaster and coordination of relief and rehabilitation.

10.         The Meeting noted the following countries have volunteered to serve as shepherds to coordinate interim efforts to further the work of the ARF in disaster relief: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States. The Meeting invited other countries to volunteer for this purpose and to convey their interests to the Co-Chairs.

AGENDA ITEM 3:       PRINCIPLES, CONCEPTS AND PROCEDURES OF CIVIL-MILITARY COOPERATION ON DISASTER RELiEF

3.1        General Conduct on Disaster Relief Management

11.         The Head of the IFRC Delegation in Jakarta gave a presentation on the Fundamental Commitment to Coordination of Disaster Relief Assistance. He pointed out that the IFRC is fully committed to the coordination of disaster relief assistance. In addition, he underscored that the IFRC National Secretariats always maintain dialogue with military bodies in their respective countries through an exchange of views on methods and activities, developing mutual understanding on roles and mandates as well as building mutual trust and respect. He also noted that the responsibility for coordination lies with national governments. The presentation of the IFRC appears as ANNEX 8.

3.2        Civil-Military Coordination

12.         The Representative of UNOCHA briefed the Meeting on the United Nations Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (UNCMCord). He mentioned that the core of the UNCMCord’s work is the development of United Nations system-wide guidelines. He underlined that the key elements in understanding civil-military coordination are information sharing, division of tasks, and planning. The presentation of the Representative of UNOCHA appears as ANNEX 9.

13.         The Chinese delegate briefed the Meeting on the Chinese Military Role in Domestic Emergency Rescue and Disaster Relief. He pointed out that in order to conduct proper civil-military cooperation in disaster relief operations, it is necessary to have a legal framework. He mentioned that China enacted the First Constitution in 1954, National Defense Law in 2000, and Regulations on the Army’s Participation in Emergency Rescue and Disaster Relief in 2005, which provide the legal framework for the military’s participation in emergency rescue. The presentation of the Chinese delegate appears as ANNEX 10.

14.         The Singaporean delegate commented that civil-military coordination in disaster relief is crucial. He proposed that ARF could explore cooperation in the area of sharing of information and knowledge, the development of standard operating procedures, networks of training programs, and early warning systems.

15.         The delegate from the Republic of Korea commented that, in the context of civil-military cooperation, it would be wise to clearly define the scope of disasters, which can be properly addressed within the framework of the ARF.

AGENDA ITEM 4:       EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCE, CAPACITY BUILDING AND INFORMATION SHARING ON CIVIL-MILITARY DISASTER RELIEF OPERATION

4.1        National Capabilities

16.         The Indonesian delegates briefed the Meeting on several aspects of civil-military coordination as well as experiences with regard to the efforts to mitigate the impact of the tsunami as well as efforts to rehabilitate and reconstruct Aceh and Nias Island. They underlined the fact that disaster relief in Aceh is an excellent example of international cooperation in time of needs whereby civil-military elements of ARF participants have worked together closely. They gave presentations on: (a) Civil-Military Coordination on Disaster Relief in Indonesia (ANNEX 11.); (b) the Roles of Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) in Humanitarian Assistance Operation (ANNEX 12.); and (c) Learning from Disaster Experiences to Build Better Governance Practices (ANNEX 13.)

17.         The United States delegates briefed the Meeting on Exploring New Models for Humanitarian Action (ANNEX 14.) and on the Incident Command System Overview (ANNEX 15.). They highlighted the importance of promoting effective civil-military management in international humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and peacekeeping operations. The Incident Command System (ICS), as one component of National Incident Management System (NIMS), is now utilized for all emergency response in the US and is the basic management framework structure to integrate any type of resources, including police, military, technical experts, NGOs, and international resources.

18.         The Canadian delegate introduced the Government of Canada Guidelines on Humanitarian Action and Civil-Military Coordination which appears as ANNEX 16.

19.         The Australian delegates briefed the Meeting on the National Capabilities for Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Relief (ANNEX 17.) and on Civil-Military Operations-Humanitarian Assistance-Pandemic Influenza (ANNEX 18.). They described that different from regular military operations, civil-military coordination does not have a formal command and control structure. They highlighted the importance of understanding inter-agency operations, coordination/cooperation, and multi-agency planning. They also emphasized the importance of having a legal basis in deploying the military, including in curbing the spread of avian influenza pandemic.

20.         The Indian delegate briefed the Meeting on Disaster Management: Indian Experience. He highlighted that in disaster management, it is necessary to enhance capacity building for all governments/organizations/armed forces/states, provide special budgeting (dedicated funds) for disaster relief efforts, institutionalize public awareness campaign, synergize all agencies, and integrate the media. He underlined the importance of sharing experiences, optimizing expertise and cooperation as well as executing lessons learned. The presentation of the Indian delegate appears as ANNEX 19.

21.         The Meeting was briefed by the Chinese delegate on China’s Policies and Measures on Disaster Relief. He stated that China has streamlined and regulated its disaster management system at the central and local governments through setting up good operational systems and procedures, including setting up early warning systems. He also emphasized that social participation is an important supplement to government relief efforts. The presentation of the Chinese delegate appears as ANNEX 20.

22.         The Russian Federation delegate briefed the Meeting on the Experience of the Russian Federation in Responding to Emergency Situations. He suggested that the main directions of international cooperation should focus upon the exchange of information, joint development of models of prognosis of possible threats and methods of reducing the aftermath of natural calamities, joint hi-tech research work and production, exchange of experience, and development of joint programs for the basis of cooperation in the case of natural calamity. The presentation of the Russian Federation delegate appears as ANNEX 21.

23.         The Singaporean delegate briefed the Meeting on the Role of Militaries in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations. He underlined the importance of rapid identification of needs required to prepare and conduct disaster relief operations. He further stressed that such cooperation demands a high degree of inter-agency coordination and consolidation. The presentation of the Singaporean delegate appears as ANNEX 22.

24.         The New Zealand delegate submitted the paper on New Zealand’s Approach to Disaster Relief which appears as ANNEX 23.

25.         The Pakistani delegate shared its experience with the Meeting on the aftermath of the earthquake disaster. He proposed the idea of establishing a regional arrangement to coordinate international assistance. He also emphasized the importance of conducting joint exercise and sharing of information.

26.         The delegate from the Republic of Korea made an introduction on Korea’s domestic mechanism for civil-military cooperation in disaster relief, which is based on a framework agreement between the Central Disaster Management Organization and the Ministry of Defense, and also reminded the Meeting of the need for enhancing legal arrangements for disaster relief operations.

27.         The Meeting recognized that most countries already have civil-military cooperation arrangements in conducting domestic rescue operations. It was highlighted that the basis for humanitarian assistance is an assessment of needs, synchronized with the resources available at the time. It was underlined that it is of the utmost importance in providing humanitarian assistance to have the consent of the national government and to adhere to the designated time frame given by the national government.

4.2        Regional Capabilities

28.         The Representative of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) gave a presentation on EU Tsunami Operations. He elaborated that regional capabilities could help ensure the rapid response of both civil and military operations. He underlined that regional capabilities should include the establishment of an early warning system, formulation of a handbook, including guidelines on the use of military assets in disaster relief operations, and alignment with international guidelines, such as the UNOCHA framework. The presentation of the ECHO Representative appears as ANNEX 24.

29.         The Malaysian delegate gave a presentation on ASEAN Cooperation on Disaster and Emergency Relief. He stated that in developing regional capabilities a formal agreement or arrangement is needed. Strategic and operational considerations as well as identifying stages of disaster relief management, action plans, and capabilities required are essential. He also supported the development of the ASEAN Standby Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (ADMER). The presentation of the Malaysian delegate appears as ANNEX 25.

30.         The Representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat briefed the Meeting on the ASEAN Framework on Civil-Military Coordination on Disaster Relief.  The ASEAN Secretariat reaffirmed that disaster management provides a strategic opportunities for regional collaboration in ARF. Taking into the available framework, platforms and ongoing activities in ASEAN, it was suggested that the ARF take advantages of these elements. The ASEAN Secretariat informed the Meeting on the forthcoming ASEAN regional disaster emergency response simulation exercise in Cambodia in 2006. The presentation of the ASEAN Secretariat Representative appears as ANNEX 26.

31.         The Meeting noted the development of regional standby arrangements as well as standard operating procedures in disaster relief by ASEAN. In this regard, the Meeting recognized the need to consider the existing regional arrangements as well as other available frameworks as reference in developing guidelines for ARF.

AGENDA ITEM 5:       FUTURE DIRECTION OF ARF ISM DR

32.         The Meeting discussed the issue on how ARF could enhance its cooperation in disaster relief, especially on capacity building of its participants including in training and exercises and updating the ARF contact points and training institutions on disaster relief.

33.         The participants underlined the importance of implementing and operationalizing various outcomes of previous ARF meetings as well as the needs to enhance civil-military coordination and cooperation between ARF participants in preventing and mitigating natural disasters as well as addressing the aftermaths of natural disasters.

34.         The Meeting discussed the possibility of establishing a database of ARF participants’ capacities in disaster relief as well as setting up an ARF virtual task force in disaster response management. It was also proposed for the ARF to work on an ARF action plan on disaster management and emergency response.

35.         The Meeting was informed that China and Indonesia will work toward drafting ARF Guidelines on Regional Cooperation on Disaster Relief, taking into account the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response and other available arrangements and frameworks.

36.         The Indonesian Co-Chair presented the draft of the ARF Statement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response. He stressed that the draft statement reflected various ARF meeting outcomes in the past as well as expectations for ARF cooperation in the future in addressing natural disasters. The draft statement is expected to be adopted at the 13^th ARF Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 2006. In this regard, delegations are expected to provide comments before the Inter-sessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy (ISG CBMs and PD) in Manila in March 2006. The draft of the ARF Statement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response appears as ANNEX 27.

37.         The People’s Republic of China and Indonesia will co-chair the Sixth ISM DR meeting in China in 2006.

AGENDA ITEM 6:       adoption of the co-chairs’ summary report

38.         The Meeting considered and adopted the Co-Chairs’ Summary Report.

39.         The Meeting expressed its gratitude and appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia for its generous hospitality and for the excellent arrangements made for the meeting.

40.         The Co-Chairs thanked all the participants for their support and valuable contribution to the Meeting.

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