As part of its preparedness and response efforts, the AHA Centre develops various tools and guidance to accelerate the mobilisation of resources between ASEAN Member States and its partners in times of disasters. Some of the available resources include stockpiled relief items, and standard operating procedures.

ASEAN Standby Arrangement

The ASEAN Standby Arrangements consist of earmark assets and capacities that voluntarily made available by the ASEAN Member States for disaster relief and emergency response. Those assets and capacities includes search and rescue directory, military and civilian assets, emergency stockpiles of disaster relief items, and disaster management expertise and technologies which, when needed, can be requested by a disaster-affected Member State, in order to supplement its own disaster response capacities. The mechanisms for the ASEAN Standby Arrangements are described in the Standard Operating Procedures for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Operations.

SASOP

The Standard Operating Procedure for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Operations (SASOP) is a document which provides:

  • The guidance and templates to initiate the establishment of the ASEAN Standby Arrangements for Disaster Relief and Emergency Response;
  • The procedures for joint disaster relief and emergency response operations;
  • The procedures for the facilitation and utilisation of military and civilian assets and capacities;
  • The methodology for the periodic conduct of the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX)

SASOP provides templates and forms which shall be used to share the information on assets and capacities owned by the Parties in ASEAN region, which are useful for disaster preparedness and response activities. For further information, read the SASOP Handbook.

Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA)

The Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) is a key mechanism to allow for swift provision of relief items to ASEAN countries facing post-disaster emergency situations. Launched on 7 December 2012, DELSA was established to develop a regional relief item stockpile and to support capacity enhancement of the AHA Centre and among ASEAN Member States in emergency logistic operations. DELSA focuses on three main elements — regional emergency stockpiles, institutional capacity building, and communication and awareness. DELSA’s establishment and operations have been supported by the Government of Japan, while the AHA Centre works closely with WFP – UNHRD on logistics technical aspects. The AHA Centre also coordinates with National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMOs) of the ASEAN Member States to distribute those relief goods to disaster-affected countries as needed to support emergency response efforts.

Emergency Response Operation (ERO)

During disaster response, AHA Centre ERO will serve a strategic role in terms of command and control in ensuring that AHA Centre can fulfill its mandate of coordinating collective responses from all the ASEAN member states including its own field personnel. AHA Centre ERO will primarily focus on collecting, gathering and analysing data, making strategic decisions, maintaining continuity of operations of the organisation, and disseminating those information and data to ASEAN Member States and concerned individuals and external stakeholders. AHA Centre ERO should maintain a strategic level view and will not directly control field assets. Tactical decisions should be left, at best, to the field teams.

The ASEAN Joint Disaster Response Plan (AJDRP)

The AJDRP aims to provide a common framework to deliver a timely, at-scale, and joint response through mobilisation of required assets and capacities. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives

  • Increasing the speed of the ASEAN response by supporting ASEAN Member States in making timely and informed decisions
  • Expanding the scale of the ASEAN response by strengthening the ASEAN Standby Arrangements
  • Enhancing the solidarity of the ASEAN response by strengthening coordination and cooperation among ASEAN Member States, ASEAN partners, and other humanitarian actors

ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Exercise (ARDEX)

The AHA Centre – together with the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) – organise the bi-annual ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX). ARDEX is intended for ASEAN Member States to practice, evaluate and review the ASEAN Standby Arrangements and Standard Operating Procedures (SASOP) in facilitating an effective collaboration amongst ASEAN Member States and between ASEAN and relevant United Nations and other international organisations in responding to major disasters in the region. During ARDEX, representatives from participating ASEAN Member States and other participants/observers seek to exercise, review, and enhance national and regional mechanisms for disaster preparedness and emergency response.

ARDEX exercises comprise the following elements:

  1. Pre-Exercise: exercise scenario, concept paper, exercise referees, exercise control checklist, conduct of Exercise Planning Team (EPT) Meetings;
  2. Actual Exercise: coordination, offer & request of assistance, interoperability of response mechanisms;
  3. Post-Exercise: de-briefing, review performance, improvements of SASOP.