Ministry of the Interior and Safety Attends A-P Disaster Risk Reduction Ministers' Meeting... Strengthening Transnational Cooperation

Discussion on Cooperation Measures for Proactive and Integrated Disaster Management with Asia-Pacific Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will dispatch a government delegation to the 9th Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Brisbane, Australia, from the 19th to the 22nd, to discuss cooperation measures for proactive and integrated disaster management with Asia-Pacific countries.

This conference, themed "From Crisis to Resilience," is co-hosted by the Australian government and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, with over 3,000 participants from more than 40 countries. The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was established in response to the 2004 South Asia tsunami disaster and is held biennially.

The Asia-Pacific region has the highest frequency of natural disasters worldwide, a large population exposed to disasters, similar natural environments, and geographical proximity, making inter-country cooperation essential for effective disaster response. In particular, ASEAN countries, which experience similar types of disasters such as typhoons and floods, show great interest in South Korea's advanced information and communication technology-based disaster management capabilities and experience, as well as its COVID-19 quarantine management system.

Cho Sang-myung, Director of the Safety Policy Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and head of the delegation, will attend the Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on the 19th to present on the implementation achievements and future directions of the international community's disaster risk reduction action framework, the "Sendai Framework." He will also introduce the South Korean government's key policies and efforts to implement the Sendai Framework and propose ▲increased investment in emerging risks ▲mitigation of disaster inequality issues ▲strengthening international cooperation in disaster risk management.

The government delegation will also hold meetings with the Acting Director of the Australian Emergency Management Agency and heads of disaster management agencies from Mongolia, Thailand, and India to discuss cooperation measures in the field of disaster safety. Meeting with the Acting Director of the Australian Emergency Management Agency, the host of this ministerial conference, they will propose personnel exchanges in disaster response areas such as floods and wildfires and suggest various cooperative projects between the two countries. Discussions with the Director of Mongolia's Disaster Management Agency will focus on establishing a permanent exchange channel such as the "Korea-Mongolia Joint Cooperation Committee" and specific cooperative projects like establishing a flood forecasting and warning system in the Ulaanbaatar area.

Subsequently, with the Director of India's Disaster Management Agency, they will share programs aimed at enhancing the resilience of infrastructure such as energy, transportation, and communications, and request the Deputy Minister of Thailand's Ministry of Interior to actively participate in disaster risk reduction activities in Northeast Asia and ASEAN regions.

Director Cho stated, "This conference is a meaningful opportunity to share South Korea's advanced disaster management system and experience, as a leading country in disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region and a model country in implementing the Sendai Framework, with the world." He added, "We plan to continue building and operating networks with major Asian countries and international disaster risk reduction experts to advance digital-based disaster management technologies and expand humanitarian support to vulnerable countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.