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An update to the proposed ASEAN joint disaster task force discussed in the 2nd article from July 2008 below:
Reminds me of a similar agreement, discussed here before, between Canada and the US where either one could call on the assistance of the other's armed forces in a (natural) disaster situation, IIRC.
Plus this older article about how ASEAN is further integrating:
As well as this old tidbit from 2007:
Does anyone think we might see something similar to the EU for this region in a few decades?
RP ratifies ASEAN disaster response agreement Accord to enter into force by year-end
By MADEL R. SABATER
September 17, 2009, 6:20pm
The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) will enter into force by the end of the year after ratification by all 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the Philippines.
According to the ASEAN Secretariat, the Philippines ratified the AADMER last September 14, the last to do so among ASEAN members.
The instrument of ratification will be deposited with the secretary-General of ASEAN by October.
"I would like to thank all ASEAN Member States for their determination in ratifying the Agreement. This marks a significant milestone in ASEAN's collective efforts to build a disaster-resilient community by the year 2015," said ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan.
The ASEAN Secretariat said that the AADMER is a regional legally-binding agreement that binds ASEAN Member States together to promote regional cooperation and collaboration in reducing disaster losses and intensifying joint emergency response to disasters in the ASEAN region. AADMER is also ASEAN's affirmation of its commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlström commended the ASEAN on this development, saying that the AADMER is the first of its kind in the world.
“I congratulate ASEAN and the Governments of Southeast Asia for their foresight and engagement in affirming their commitment to the HFA and for offering partnerships to the United Nations and other partner organizations to help achieve the objectives of the Agreement,” she said.
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. It also provides for the establishment of an ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Center) to undertake operational coordination of activities under the Agreement
Reminds me of a similar agreement, discussed here before, between Canada and the US where either one could call on the assistance of the other's armed forces in a (natural) disaster situation, IIRC.
Posted: 24 July 2008 1741 hrs
SINGAPORE - Asia's top security forum agreed Thursday on military exercises aimed at forging a regional taskforce to deal with calamities like those that struck Myanmar and China this year.
The ASEAN Regional Forum resolved two years ago to develop guidelines for joint disaster relief, but the confused response to the Myanmar cyclone showed up the fact that little has been done since then.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said Thursday's meeting of the 27-nation security dialogue, which takes in the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc as well as the US, China and Russia, had gone "quite deep" into the issue.
He said that as well as endorsing a joint US-Philippines disaster exercise, the ministers had established procedures on deploying military resources and "even having designated forces in standby readiness".
"It makes a lot of sense to conduct such exercises, you don't want to be working together for the first time when there are natural disasters," Mr Yeo told a press conference.
"If you have practised before, if you know the radio frequencies, if you share a common language and have common procedures, then you can act so much more effectively."
Mr Yeo said that as the host of the ARF meeting, Singapore encouraged other countries to join the US-Philippines exercise.
An official told AFP that the exercise in the disaster-prone country could begin next year.
"The Philippines and the US have initiated discussions on potential sites and dates, identified logistical procedures and requirements" and looked at proposed rules for participation, said the ARF chairman's statement, obtained by AFP.
Disaster preparedness has risen high on the regional agenda after Cyclone Nargis struck military-ruled Myanmar and an earthquake in southwest China together left more than 200,000 people dead or missing in May.
ASEAN was criticised for failing to pressure Myanmar to open its borders to foreign relief workers in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, but won over many of its critics by eventually leading a joint international aid effort.
The US sent four US Navy ships loaded with relief supplies and aircraft to the coast of Myanmar after the cyclone but the military government -- notoriously mistrustful of the West -- rejected their help and that of other foreign militaries.
Mr Yeo stressed that "no aid could be forced on any other country" and highlighted differences between Myanmar's response and that of Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami hit its province of Aceh.
"In Myanmar, the warships carrying supplies anchored off its waters caused confusion, created distrust which impeded the flow of international aid to Myanmar at that time," he said.
"In the case of Indonesia after the tsunami, foreign forces were welcomed with no impediments and the result was great speed for bringing assistance to the affected areas."
ARF foreign ministers adopted a statement on disaster management and emergency response when they met in 2006, two years after the tsunami killed 220,000 people in nations around the region.
The agreement called for "operating procedures" to be drawn up on civilian and military cooperation for humanitarian operations, and an inventory of military transport assets available in emergencies. Those calls were not followed up by action.
ASEAN also agreed in 2004 to establish a joint humanitarian relief centre in Jakarta, but that is still not in place, while a 2005 pact on disaster management has not been fully implemented.
"We've got to be all together better prepared to help out in a crisis in any one of our countries," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Thursday.
- AFP/ir
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../362477/1/.html
Plus this older article about how ASEAN is further integrating:
ASEAN opts for further integration
By Beth Day Romulo
WHILE the arrival of China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao, on a 2-day official visit to the Philippines and as dialogue partner at the ASEAN Summit got the most media attention, the summit itself, hosted by the Philippines and chaired by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was unusually active and productive. Perhaps smarting at the designation of being a "talk shop,’’ ASEAN showed its muscle by committing to a wide range of agreements. First on its list was an anti-terrorism act with teeth in it, which provides a framework to track and extradite suspects, share intelligence, and offer close cooperation in arresting, prosecuting, and preventing attacks. This agreement was adopted on the first day. Unfortunately for the Philippines, the Senate has been laggard about passing an anti-terror law which it has been sitting on for a year, that is basic to full cooperation with other countries.
Two years ago, ASEAN noted that it has survived all these years without a Charter and appointed one representative from each of the 10 member countries to provide a blueprint of what a Charter should include. Former President Fidel Ramos was the Philippine member of the Eminent Persons Group which worked on the Charter. They agree that the organization needs rules and a legal entity so that if members violate the rules, they can be suspended, and at worst, expelled. Since the Eminent Persons Group has been working on the Charter, trade in the area has increased 23 percent which verifies the need for clear guidelines. The blueprint was presented and unanimously accepted at the summit in Cebu and is supposed to be ready for ratification at the next summit to be held in Singapore in November. One of the 28 recommendations was that ASEAN leaders should meet more frequently.
Protection of the rights of migrant workers was also high on the agenda and an agreement was reached for equal wages, decent working conditions, and protection from illegal recruitment, trafficking, and prostitution.
An ASEAN Common Trade agreement is slated to be reached by 2015. Meanwhile an ASEAN-China trade agreement on services was inked, which opens up services sectors such as banking, information technology, and tourism.
China pushed for a renewal of the stalled six-party talks on denuclearization of North Korea and the Philippines responded by offering to host the talks. As foreign Secretary Bert Romulo commented, "Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is essential to maintain peace in the region.’’
East Timor, which hopes eventually to qualify for membership in ASEAN, was present as an observor and Timor’s human rights activist Prime Minister Ramos Horta, called upon Myanmar to free Aung San Sui Ky. President Arroyo endorsed those sentiments but could not win unanimity among her colleagues, who consider Myanmar’s political situation an "internal’’ matter. At the UN Security Council, China vetoed a US resolution for further sanctions against Myanmar. One wonders, when a charter is finally endorsed, whether the military junta that rules Myanmar will consider abiding by human rights requirements, or try to get by with vague promises of democratic reforms, which has been its behavior in ASEAN thus far.
Cooperation on the fight against HIV/AIDS and energy security through the development of alternate sources of energy was also agreed upon, and freeing up trade regionally is on the docket.
ASEAN is pressing for a resolution of the Doha Round of trade agreements at the World Trade Organization (WTO) but meanwhile is making regional trade agreements of its own. "At a time when the Doha round is faltering, ASEAN wants to stand up and proclaim its support for keeping the doors of global trade open,’’ declared president Arroyo, speaking for all her colleagues in ASEAN.
The ASEAN Summit meetings were held among the 10 member nations and followed by discussions with ASEAN dialogue partners South Korea, Japan, Australia, China, India, and New Zealand.
In its agreements the Southeast Asian nations must walk a fine line, stressing cooperation and not competition, since many of these countries produce the same products.
In addition to the ChinaASEAN agreement, the Philippines pursued its own bilateral agreements with its giant neighbor which include investments, loans, and China’s further contributions to ADB for poverty alleviation.
It is clear that China is taking a lead role in the affairs of its Asian neighbors. "We’re both friendly neighbors and important strategic partners,’’ Premier Wen told his audience at the ceremonies upon his arrival. "We need each other in our respective development endeavors and we are bound by common interest.’’ Among the investments discussed would be the development of corn and rice plantations on idle land and the construction of an ethanol plant. The 17 agreements also include official development assistance (ODA’s) to build a shipyard and a cold storage plant.
http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED2007012385302.html
As well as this old tidbit from 2007:
Does anyone think we might see something similar to the EU for this region in a few decades?
