Manila: Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to strengthen disaster preparedness by moving faster on prevention and anticipatory action, as they formally adopted the Manila Declaration at the closing of the two-day ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience (AMCDR) 2026 in Pasay City on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, in his closing speech, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management, stated that the declaration would guide regional cooperation on disaster resilience through 2030 and beyond. Teodoro announced, "As the 2026 ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience comes to a close, it is my honor, in my capacity as Chair of the Ministerial Meeting, to announce that we have formally adopted the Manila Declaration."
He outlined that the declaration establishes three key areas for action: accelerating the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Program 2026-2030; strengthening ASEAN accountability, monitoring, and learning for disaster resilience; and shaping ASEAN's disaster resilience agenda towards 2030 and beyond. Teodoro emphasized that the declaration would remain a flexible document, allowing ASEAN to adapt its approach as disasters and risks evolve.
Teodoro further mentioned that the declaration is slated for notation by ASEAN leaders at the 49th ASEAN Summit in November, contingent on the concurrence of all member states. Given that the ASEAN region is among the world's most disaster-prone areas, the conference focused significantly on the need for proactive measures before disasters strike.
Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Prevention of the National Disaster Management Authority, Abdul Muhari, highlighted the limited value of early warning systems if warnings are not linked to decisions and resources necessary for action. He stressed the importance of connecting knowledge to forecast shared triggers, decision authority, pre-arranged financing, and local capacity to ensure early warning consistently translates into early action. Muhari advocated for end-to-end people-centered early warning systems supported by science, technology, geospatial information, risk analysis, AI, and interoperable data.
Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community San Lwin noted that discussions at the conference reflected a shifting regional risk landscape influenced by climate change, rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, technological disruptions, and socioeconomic vulnerabilities. The conference produced recommendations on early warning systems, anticipatory action, disaster risk financing, recovery readiness, and stronger cooperation among governments, communities, the private sector, academia, and other stakeholders.
San Lwin highlighted the importance of anticipatory action in strengthening ASEAN's disaster management mechanism by enabling countries to prepare and act together before disasters occur. The conference also marked the 10th anniversary of the 'One ASEAN, One Response Declaration,' underscoring regional solidarity and collective action in disaster management.
In his message, Teodoro called for sustained cooperation among ASEAN member states and their partners, particularly in risk financing and technology, noting that disasters transcend sectors, scales, and borders. He echoed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s sentiment that regional disaster frameworks must ultimately benefit communities and protect people's lives, emphasizing that the frameworks must make a difference where it matters most-in communities, economies, and people's lives.
