The 15th ASEAN-ERAT Induction Course took place from 27 February to 5 March 2024. Held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam this year, the ASEAN-ERAT Induction Course serves to prepare regional responders with the relevant knowledge in responding to major disasters in the ASEAN region.
Since its inception in 2008 to respond to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) Members have been mobilised to 31 response missions in 7 countries. The 15th iteration of the ASEAN-ERAT Induction Course involved 38 participants from ten ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and the AHA Centre. Two participants from Timor-Leste also participated for the first time in ASEAN-ERAT history.
The 15th ASEAN-ERAT Induction Course was organised by the Brunei Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) in collaboration with the AHA Centre through the ASEAN-ERAT Phase III Project supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). The course was also made possible with the valuable assistance of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), the Brunei Red Crescent Society, MapAction, and Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) in facilitating the course.
The ASEAN-ERAT Induction Course is designed in alignment with ASEAN-ERAT Guidelines, with classroom sessions following the ASEAN-ERAT mission cycle, starting from Personal Preparedness, Safety and Security, Coordination, Rapid Assessment, Information Management, and Humanitarian Logistics, ICT for emergencies to team demobilisation. Throughout the 100-hour long course, participants attended 5 days of class sessions and discussions, followed by 3 days of simulation exercise (SIMEX), serving as an avenue for the participants to apply knowledge and skills learnt during the classroom sessions into application.
By the end of the course, participants were equipped with core information of the ASEAN-ERAT system, knowledge, and skills of the ASEAN-ERAT’s three core functions of assessment, coordination and facilitating relief assistance. In the words of Hjh. Noor Monasalieana @Suzie Binti Hj. Mohd Salleh, participant from Brunei Darussalam, the course was “incredibly educational in providing us with a deep understanding of the subject matter, and we are leaving here equipped with valuable skills and knowledge”. The course also enhanced participants’ soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and communication, as well as the ability to work with the media during deployments. Participant Lee En Hao from Singapore commented on overcoming initial challenges of language barriers between participants, where participants found “ways to slowly adapt to each other’s manner of speaking and solve problems along the way”.
As these 38 participants complete the ASEAN-ERAT Induction Course, they now join a pool of around 422 ASEAN-ERAT trained members that contribute to ASEAN’s preparedness and capacity to respond to disasters, ensuring rapid and collective deployment of ASEAN’s resources following a major disaster. In the words of AHA Centre Executive Director Lee Yam Ming, participants “journey in the ASEAN-ERAT family starts now and will be an important contributing factor in building a stronger and more robust regional network that works together, in the spirit of One ASEAN One Response”.
