Siem Reap, May 23 (AseanAll) — The 46th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) and related meetings were convened in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from 20 to 23 May 2025, bringing together representatives from National Disaster Management Organisations of ASEAN Member States, Timor Leste, ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and partners to strengthen cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
The series of related meetings alongside the 46th ACDM Meeting include the Consultative Meeting on the development of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2026-2030, the 22nd Meeting of the Governing Board of the AHA Centre, the 7th Meeting of the ASEAN Disaster Resilience Platform, the 9th Meeting of the ACDM Plus China, the 9th Meeting of the ACDM Plus Japan, and the 8th Meeting of the ACDM Plus Republic of Korea (ROK).
Hosted by the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as ACDM Chair for 2025, the 46th ACDM Meeting and its related meetings were held under the theme: 20 Years of ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER): ASEAN’s Vision for Global Leadership in Disaster Resilience.
The 46th ACDM Meeting deliberated on the plan to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of AADMER, including preparations for a Ministerial Statement in this regard. The meeting also took stock the progress of projects and activities under the AADMER Work Programme 2021–2025 and exchanged views on ways forward. The meeting further reaffirmed commitment to working on the development AADMER Work Programme 2026–2030 to be ready for adoption by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management and launching in October this year.
Additionally, the meeting discussed the preparation for the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise 2025 (ARDEX-25) to be held from 21 to 25 July 2025 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to test and enhance ASEAN’s disaster response mechanisms and coordination capacities. The meeting acknowledged ASEAN’s coordinated response to the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Mandalay, Myanmar, in March 2025.
The ACDM meetings with China, Japan, and Republic of Korea reviewed the progress in the implementation of the respective cooperation work plan on disaster management and deliberated a number of new initiatives under the partnerships.
The 7th ADRP Meeting galvanized the commitment of all relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies across all ASEAN Community Pillars to strengthen a whole-of-ASEAN approach and synergy in building disaster resilience in the region.
The 46th ASEAN Meeting and related meetings are part of ASEAN’s regular efforts to strengthen regional cooperation on disaster management and humanitarian assistance. The 13th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management/14th Conference of the Parties to AADMER, the 47th ACDM Meeting and related meetings are scheduled to take place on 13-17 October 2025 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
