ASEAN Launches New Emergency Satellite Warehouses in Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippines
In response to the directive from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders for a stronger and faster ASEAN collective response, a new emergency satellite warehouse strategically located in Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippines was launched today, 1 July 2019, to be part of the network of ASEAN warehouses across the region. This satellite warehouse will supplement the existing regional stockpile managed by the World Food Programme at the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Subang, Malaysia. The other satellite warehouse, which was recently launched during the 34th ASEAN Summit, is located in Chainat, Thailand, a three-hour drive up north from Bangkok. The aim of prepositioning of ASEAN relief items in strategically located warehouses is to increase the speed and scale of an ASEAN response.
Through the signing of the ‘ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region’ on 6 September 2016 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, the ASEAN Leaders expressed their commitment to support a well-coordinated joint response in the region. The Declaration also affirms the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) as the primary ASEAN regional coordinating agency on disaster management and emergency response.
In support of the aspiration to establish a network of satellite warehouses within the ASEAN region, the Government of the Philippines has allocated a dedicated warehouse inside Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City for the purpose of pre-positioning stockpile for disaster response. The Philippines’ Department of National Defense converted a portion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines – Logistics Command (AFP-LOGCOM) Depot to serve as satellite warehouse.
The said satellite warehouse shall be co-managed by the AHA Centre and the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). The establishment of this satellite warehouse in the Philippines is a reflection of the strong partnership and collaboration between ASEAN through the AHA Centre and the NDRRMC through the OCD in disaster risk reduction and management.
The launching of the ASEAN Satellite Warehouse in the Philippines on 1 July 2019 also coincides with the opening of the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) in the Philippines. This is a testimony of ASEAN’s commitment and support to national efforts to build a disaster resilient Philippines and to a greater extent, the ASEAN region.
About the AHA Centre
The AHA Centre is an inter-governmental organisation which aims to facilitate cooperation and coordination among ASEAN Member States and with the United Nations and international organisations for disaster management and emergency response in ASEAN region. The Centre was established by the ten ASEAN Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam on 17 November 2011, through the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the AHA Centre in Bali, Indonesia. The Agreement was signed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers, witnessed by the ASEAN Leaders.
For further information, please contact:
| Dipo Summa Knowledge and Change Management Officer AHA CentreTel:+6221 29827793 Ext. 108 E-mail: dipo.summa@ahacentre.org |
Caroline Widagdo DELSA Programme Assistant AHA CentreTel:+6221 29827793 Ext. 108 E-mail: caroline.widagdo@ahacentre.org |
