About us

The AADMER Partnership Group (APG) is a consortium of seven civil society organisations formed to assist in the implementation of AADMER. The members of the consortium are: ChildFund International, HelpAge International, Mercy Malaysia, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children International, and World Vision International. APG is in partnership with the ASEAN towards a “people-centred implementation of AADMER” with focus on promoting visibility and participation of vulnerable groups.

APG’s programme started in 2009 with the drafting of the AADMER Work Programme, the implementation strategy for AADMER. Since then, APG has been collaborating with the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) and its Working Groups, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Centre as well as ASEAN Member States in the popularisation and implementation of AADMER.

APG currently operates in specific ASEAN Member States, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, and Viet Nam, as well as in Thailand as a regional hub.

Vision: Disaster-resilient nations and safer communities in the ASEAN region by 2015.

Goal: Substantially reduce loss of life and damage to economic, social, physical and environmental assets of ASEAN Member States caused by natural and human-induced disasters.

AADMER serves to improve the resilience of vulnerable groups to disaster risks by strengthening the capacities of ASEAN Member States to manage disaster risks and respond to emergency situations.

AADMER contains provisions on disaster risk identification, monitoring and early warning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness and response, rehabilitation, technical cooperation and research, mechanisms for coordination, and simplified customs and immigration procedures.

AADMER also provides for the establishment of an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) to undertake operational coordination of activities under the Agreement.

In line with the ASEAN Charter’s purpose to promote an open, inclusive and transparent people-oriented ASEAN, AADMER invokes the active participation of all stakeholders such as NGOs, the private sector and local communities as a key to effective disaster management, even as the primary responsibility to respond to disasters and implement measures to reduce disaster risk falls on the government of individual Member States.

AADMER Flagship Projects

From the AADMER Work Programme, the ACDM drew 14 flagship projects to increase ASEAN’s regional capacity and complement the capacities of Member States in attaining the vision of disaster resilient nations and safer communities. The APG is involved in the following flagship projects:

• Establishment of a fully functional Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT): support for induction courses, finalization of ERAT deployment procedures, formulation of guidelines in relation to UNDAC and capacity-building of ERAT personnel. In this, the APG coordinates closely with Singapore, the Lead Shepherd Country for the Working Group on Preparedness and Response and responsible for ERAT inductions. It also supports and works closely the ASEAN Secretariat;
• Dissemination and institutionalisation of the Standard Operating Procedure for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Operations (SASOP), support for the capacity-building of Member States through ARDEX and tabletop exercises, orientations given to government agencies and other stakeholders;
• Building a culture of disaster-resilience in ASEAN: popularisation of AADMER amongst stakeholders and the production of IEC materials to increase awareness of AADMER;
• Training and Knowledge Management Systems: regional training needs and knowledge needs assessments of NDMOs, local governments and civil society within the region, development of training modules and knowledge management systems, training of trainers; and
• Others that may be agreed with the ACDM, its Working Groups, the AHA Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat

APG supports ASEAN through its structure and mechanisms such as the ASEAN Secretariat, the ACDM, and the ASEAN Member States’ related programmes.

Finally, the APG is supporting the ASEAN Secretariat in the implementation of a participatory M&E by linking it with civil society stakeholders and identifying possible ASEAN-Government-CSO feedback mechanisms.

History

The APG formally started working with the ASEAN Secretariat in August 2009, at the Kick-off Meeting for the drafting of the AADMER Work Programme. Since then, it has been working not only with ASEAN but with NDMOs, the ACDM and its Working Groups, as well. In 2010-2011, the APG helped increase the capacity of civil society organisations working at regional, national and sub-national levels in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Viet Nam to understand AADMER and conceive of ways to participate in its implementation. APG-seconded advisors to the ASEAN Secretariat have also conducted AADMER orientations in Brunei Darussalam and Lao PDR.

Working with NDMOs and partner NGOs, APG produced stakeholder maps, a review and analysis of the alignment of national policy with AADMER and case studies of multi-stakeholder approaches at the country level in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Viet Nam. These showed the broad diversity of stakeholders in DRR and highlighted the roles and relationship amongst national government agencies, local governments and civil society in setting up policies and building national capacities to respond to disasters. The studies also revealed that AADMER’s principles and elements are either already reflected or are in the process of being incorporated in national policy. Still, country-level plans for AADMER’s institutionalisation are needed. One of AADMER’s principles is multi-stakeholder participation and it is found in national disaster management and DRR policies or practices as appropriate to their political contexts.

Under the guidance of the NDMOs and the ASEAN Secretariat, APG developed and produced a variety of information, education and communication (IEC) materials to disseminate information on AADMER and increase awareness of ASEAN’s mechanisms for DRR. AADMER and the AADMER Work Programme were translated into Khmer, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino and Vietnamese. The activity provided an opportunity for building stronger relationship between NDMOs and APG Country Leads. In addition, posters, leaflets, video, songs and skits were also produced to popularise AADMER.

AADMER orientation workshops that also explained the links between AADMER and national policies were conducted. These orientations workshops were co-sponsored with the NDMO and participated in by other government agencies, civil society organisations and community groups. In Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines, AADMER orientation workshops were conducted with national-level as well as provincial actors. The provinces were chosen on the basis of their risk profile. In Viet Nam, the AADMER orientation workshop was conducted at the national level.

The APG studied and analysed existing models of multi-stakeholder partnerships at the country level in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Viet Nam and found out that multi-stakeholder platforms exist and provide spaces for CSOs to interact amongst themselves as well as with government. In Cambodia, there are the DRR Forum and the Joint Action Network. In Indonesia, there is PLANAS (National Platform). In the Philippines, the National DRRM Council is composed of national government agencies, four seats for NGOs, one seat for the Red Cross, and one seat for the private sector. In addition, the Philippines also has the DRR Net and the Philippine INGO Network (PINGON). In Vietnam, there is the Disaster Management Working Group.

Country inception workshops were conducted with different stakeholders and served as a platform for dialogues between government and civil society on AADMER’s implementation. They helped raise awareness on AADMER at national and sub-national levels. The results of the stakeholder mapping and policy research were presented at these inception workshops. Discussions on current government and CSO initiatives generated ideas on strengthening partnerships.

APG supported the induction of the ASEAN-Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT) on rapid assessment. It then provided support to the drafting of the ERAT methodology, promoting the value of inclusion of vulnerable groups in the process and output of assessments.

The APG also participated on behalf of ASEAN in the ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercise (ARF DiREx) in Manado, Indonesia in 2011, the Table Top Exercise (TTX) on Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (DMHA) by ASEAN Defence Establishments and Civil Society Organisations, and provided inputs on AADMER to the Mekong River Commission.

Working with the ACDM Lead Shepherd for Training and Knowledge Management and the ASEAN Secretariat, the APG assessed training and knowledge needs in all of the 10 ASEAN Member States and organised the Regional Training Needs Assessment covering the training needs of NDMOs, local governments and civil society within the region which resulted in the development of the AADMER training curriculum, among others.

Members

The AADMER Partnership Group (APG) is a consortium of seven civil society organisations formed to assist in the implementation of AADMER. APG members share knowledge through community engagement and outreach, emphasising learning from and with the leading voices from ASEAN Member States and civil society. The APG recognises the rich and diverse experiences of this region and the many success stories that ASEAN countries have to share with each other and the world. Through this process, the group facilitates the sharing of learning from over 100 groups, including their respective networks of partners and allied organisations.

Led by Oxfam Great Britain as the current chair, it includes the following members: ChildFund International, HelpAge International, Mercy Malaysia, Plan International, Save the Children, and World Vision.

APG envisions the creation of a Regional Consultative Forum composed of ASEAN civil society organisations, other international NGOs and international organisations. The Regional Consultative Forum shall be the space for the APG to share plans and project implementation developments and consult with a diverse and broad range of DM/DRR actors and stakeholders. It will also be the mechanism for participation and coordination with other actors in AADMER’s implementation.

Strategy

Strategic Implementation Plan: 2011-2015

The APG has conducted a Reflection and Learning Workshop with NDMOs from Cambodia and the Philippines and NGO partners last 15 September 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia to draw lessons from the previous phase of the project and use those lessons for the next. The workshop results show that the next phase of APG project will add value by:

• Continuing to raise awareness and understanding of AADMER at the regional and national level, especially at the sub-national (provincial, local) levels;
• Continuing to develop capacity by providing updated information on AADMER’s mechanisms and flagship projects, possibly providing technical or advisory support to authorities as well as CSOs and helping set up “structured mechanisms” for co-ordinating humanitarian support;
• Facilitating the formation of partnership spaces where vulnerable groups or communities can be involved and using recent experiences to illustrate how communities are not just beneficiaries but also partners in DRR;
• Linking AADMER with practical outcomes that support existing partnerships and starting where resources can be generated (e.g. training and knowledge management);
• Apart from NDMOs, including other Competent Authorities responsible for implementing AADMER in the APG’s future efforts;
• Expanding the scope of APG’s country implementation sites and exploring ways to tap the capacities of countries like Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore to support other countries. Consultations will be held with the ACDM or AADMER National Focal Points in these countries to identify possible areas of collaboration;
• Involving other CSOs in the project while retaining APG’s current membership; and
• Helping to improve the role of media beyond merely reporting losses and damages by inculcating an understanding of disaster risk reduction and other AADMER concepts

Implementation Levels

Regional: The project will utilise existing ASEAN mechanisms and structures to achieve its outcomes at the regional level. The APG will continue to provide advisory support to the ASEAN Secretariat’s Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Division and to the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management and its Working Groups. It will support several of the AADMER Work Programme’s flagship projects. Training and knowledge management is an important contribution of APG to the regional implementation of AADMER. Related to this, the APG will facilitate and support knowledge sharing ASEAN countries, drawing on the store of lessons developed through community-based DRR approaches. It will do this by participating in the monitoring, evaluation and learning from existing projects and facilitating regional linkages across a diverse range of actors.

National: Complementing the project’s implementation at the ASEAN level, the project will continue supporting AADMER National Focal Points (NFPs) and even other Competent Authorities (CA) in focal countries to develop policies, action plans and programmes that are aligned with AADMER. APG will further strengthen its alliances with NFPs. During the course of the project, it will periodically review and gather lessons towards strengthening people’s participation in DRR and improving multi-stakeholder approaches. The APG has also received suggestions for it to provide NDMOs with technical and advisory support. This suggestion will be further considered and could be taken up during the country-level project development workshops.

Working with Others

Partnership is central to the approach of APG. It sees its role as a facilitator of inclusive dialog between government and civil society, bringing the voices of the most marginalized to the fore, and maximising learning from the diverse experiences of development practice in ASEAN. At the regional level, the APG develops its partnership and implements its work in mutual agreement with the ACDM and the ASEAN Secretariat. It recognises and complements the roles performed by other actors such as national and local CSOs, regional formations, international organisations, UN agencies and bilateral aid agencies in supporting AADMER implementation. At the national level, the APG implements its projects through consultations and in partnership with NDMOs and national civil society organisations.

Partners:

• ASEAN bodies: the ACDM and its Working Groups, AHA Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat’s Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (DMHA) Division 
• Regional CSOs (to be identified during project development)
• International CSOs (to be identified during project development)
• National CSOs, including community-based organisations (to be identified during project development)

In developing its detailed project implementation plan and during the implementation of its strategy, the APG will relate and coordinate with stakeholders at national and regional levels.