Although the most direct and responsible agencies are supposed to be UNISDR and
UNOCHA, the efforts made by UN agencies are also under other several programs such
as United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). For example, the UNDP has implemented
various programs providing capacity building in disaster management throughout the
region. Another example is the deployment of UNHCR emergency team to assist the
Philippines government to manage internal displaced people from Typhoon Haiyan.
However, support and assistance programs under the UN are usually conducted through
network of government agencies in each nation or among member countries. Co-sharing
or co-managing through a national module is not easy. Government agencies
responsible for disaster management have their own routines and priorities, which can
hinder a collaborative process. Progress in achieving goals and desired outcomes may,
as a result, fall short of the expectations of an initial plan.
Aside from such complications, ASEAN and the UN released the Joint Declaration on
ASEAN-UN Collaboration in Disaster Management in 2010. The declaration is
developed based on the AADMER and the Hyogo Framework of Action 1 (HFA1). It
aims to broaden and deepen the collaboration between ASEAN disaster management
mechanisms and those of the UN in order to build disaster resilient nations and safer
communities in the region. The Hyogo Framework for Action itself is not simple. The
framework is translated into five main tasks which the national work plan in disaster
management has to implement. These include prioritizing disaster risk reduction,
knowing the risk and taking action, building understanding and awareness, reducing
risks, and preparing and being ready. These focuses are to be implemented under the
national plan and deliver concrete results. Many countries implementing Hyogo struggle
to understand both their activities under this framework as well as its capacity to
maintain momentum and sustain such activities. One famous translation of the Hyogo
Framework is expressed in CBDRM: the practice of Community Based in Disaster and
Risk Management. A CBDRM ensures capacity building amongst even those at the tail
end of the disaster management network, namely, local communities in each nation.
However, to complete CBDRM is time consuming and requires several key factors such
as strong leadership, community understanding and self-awareness, mutual interest on
motivation, and education.
The EU has been recognized for its success in sharing knowledge and experience
because it has several expert teams and a range of technologies that can enhance a
nation's capacity for disaster management. Choosing to promote the exchange of
experience and knowledge in civilian-military cooperation on disasters through the use
of AADMER is a smart move. AADMER encourages the member countries to
compromise on their individual national security concerns and to accept the idea of
domestic and international military teams cooperating with each other. Under SASOP,
all military personnel are required to wear an ERAT uniform, thereby illustrating unity
amongst team members while reducing differing norms and practices across national
lines. Hopefully, third party encouragement for cooperation will reduce conflicts and
inconsistencies in operations.