A recent article in The Diplomat discussed recent disaster management strategies throughout South East Asia, a region that sees $86.5 billion in average annual economic losses due to natural disasters, as estimated by The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The article looks at existing infrastructure and organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the development of regional communities and agreements such as the Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). The value of these organizations extend beyond boots on the ground disaster management into communications and other areas.
The article also argues for a different approach to the U.S’s existing funding strategy to maximize effectiveness. “Between 2005 and 2017, only 3.8 percent of disaster-related international development assistance focused on disaster prevention and preparedness. In 2020, just $9.8 million of the United States’ total $1.5 billion in foreign assistance obligations to Southeast Asian countries supported this objective,” writes Meghan Sullivan, a former research intern with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). “However, channeling funding toward anticipatory and preventative disaster management represents a wise investment, as every $1 dedicated to disaster risk reduction can save $4-$7 in response.”
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