The ASEAN Regional Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA) provides high-level guidance to the National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMOs) of ASEAN Member States (AMS) on the implementation of a regionally consistent approach to RVA at the national level.
The RVA Guidelines is made up of three documents:
- ASEAN Regional Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Guidelines
- Guidelines for the implementation of ASEAN Disaster Risk Index
- Exercise Manual supporting the implementation of the ASEAN RVA Guidelines
RVA is recognized by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) as one of the most important elements of long-term Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM). RVA is prominent in the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) 2005-2015 and further emphasized in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). Within the regional context, the former recommends “development of methodologies and standards for hazard and vulnerability monitoring and assessment” and “undertaking and publishing regional and sub-regional baseline assessments.” Regional contributions related to coordination and guidance are also highlighted in the Sendai Framework. The Sendai Framework emphasizes the importance of collecting, managing, sharing, analyzing, and applying appropriate risk information for improved decision making and outcomes and shifts focus to addressing the multi-dimensional drivers of risk.
Affirming ASEAN’s commitment to the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) for disaster risk reduction, the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) sets “a regional framework for cooperation, coordination, technical assistance, and resource mobilization in all aspects of disaster management.”1 This agreement was ratified by all ten (10) Member States and entered into force on 24 December 2009. In AADMER, risk assessment is viewed as a necessary step in identification of risks, helping to devise mitigation strategies, and ultimately leading to the objective of reduced disaster losses. Risk assessment continues to be a priority under the recently adopted AADMER Work Programme 2016-2020; the name of the Working Group has been changed Risk Assessment and Awareness to match the language and focus of the new document.
