ASEAN countries take regional, national and sub-national approaches to disaster
risk management (Lai, et al. 2009). The ASEAN Committee on Disaster Risk
Management (ACDM) was established in 2003 and tasked with the coordination and
implementation of regional activities on disaster management. The Committee has
cooperated with United Nations bodies such as the United Nations International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The ASEAN Agreement on
Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) provides a
comprehensive regional framework to strengthen preventive, monitoring and
mitigation measures to reduce disaster losses in the region. In recent years,
Singapore has been active in providing training and education for disaster managers
from neighboring countries. Singapore has an ongoing exchange program with a
number of Asia Pacific nations and Europe. For example, to partner with APEC to increase emergency preparedness in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore’s SCDF
provides short-term courses on disaster management in the Civil Defence Academy
(Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, 2011).