The 22nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief was held virtually earlier this week, hosted by Vietnam and co-chaired by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and attended by 55 participants from ARF member countries.

Sri Lanka as Co-Chair underscored the importance of collective response in addressing challenges posed by natural disasters and the importance of the ARF process in exploring synergies between climate change adaptation, climate mitigation and disaster risk management.

Referring to Sri Lanka’s own experience as a nation that has experienced first-hand the devastating impact of natural disasters, the importance of preparedness, response and recovery efforts were highlighted.

The Sri Lanka delegation was led by Director General, South East Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sashikala Premawardhane, with the participation of senior officials from the National Disaster Relief Service Centre of the Ministry of Defence.

The discussions at the meeting focused on exchange of best practices and enhancing regional and international coordination in disaster relief efforts. The meeting also reviewed progress on the ARF Work Plan for Disaster Relief and proposed the extension of the timeframe of the Work Plan to facilitate implementation.

The ARF is an ASEAN-led mechanism for security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region and provides a forum to foster constructive dialogue and consultation towards promoting confidence building measures and preventive diplomacy in the region.  Sri Lanka has been a member of the ARF since 2007.