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Enhancing Regional Resilience: The Evolution and Impact of APEC's Emergency Preparedness Working Group

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The APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group EPWG was first established in 2005 as the APEC Task Force for Emergency Preparedness by Senior Officials of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC. In light of global developments, it was elevated to an Emergency Preparedness Working Group in 2010 after being recognized for its critical role.

The EPWG is committed to building resilience and preparedness capabilities throughout the region. Its mn objective is to facilitate APEC member economies' ability to mitigate agnst, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and natural disasters. This mission is achieved through fostering private-public partnerships that protect communities and businesses from disruption, sharing information on disaster risk reduction, enhancing coordination among members, and integrating best practices in emergency management.

In 2015, APEC Leaders took a significant step forward by adopting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Disaster Risk Reduction Framework DRRF. This framework addresses growing concerns due to recurring disasters becoming normal conditions in the region. The increasing frequency, magnitude, and geographic scope of natural disasters are disrupting trade flows and threatening growth and development sustnability.

In response, APEC member economies were tasked with creating the APEC DRR Action Plan DRRAP through a four-pillar approach. The plan was developed by EPWG to address areas for collaboration, specific activities, responsible partners, timelines for implementation, and evaluation indicators.

Key Activities

EPWG Plenary Meeting and SDMOF16

The EPWG convenes annually during the APEC Senior Officials’ Meetings SOM. In August 2023, the 19th plenary meeting was held alongside a workshop in Seattle, USA. This gathering featured disaster management officials from 16 member economies, as well as panellists representing international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia, businesses, and local communities.

The panel discussed topics such as improving early warning systems, supply chn logistics during crises, data-driven risk assessments, and effective crisis communications strategies. The insights shared were med at enhancing preparedness in the face of disasters.

SDMOF16

The 16th Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum SDMOF16, chred by Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA of the United States, was co-organized on August 3, 2023 during SOM3 in Seattle. Key themes included adaptive crisis management strategies, inclusive and participatory disaster risk reduction practices, prioritizing pre-disaster recovery planning for housing in the Asia-Pacific region, nature-based infrastructure solutions to enhance resilience, and fostering women's leadership roles in crisis management.

These discussions resulted in a recommation by SDMOF16 attees that member economies update the 2015 APEC Disaster Risk Reduction Framework and 2016 Action Plan.

Resources

EPWG Publications

These resources cover a range of topics from practical guides to reports on strengthening fire prevention capacities, emphasizing good practices for both communities and government institutions.

EPWG Projects

The EPWG carries out various projects med at capacity building, knowledge sharing, and fostering international cooperation in disaster risk reduction. The APEC Emergency Preparedness Capacity Building Center EPCC and the APEC Climate Centre APCC are key components of these efforts.

Downloadable Resources

  1. Voluntary Sharing of Practices on Responding to COVID-19

  2. Revised 2023 APEC Disaster Risk Reduction Framework

  3. Revised 2023 APEC Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plan

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International Collaboration in Crisis Management Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Emergency Preparedness Working Group APEC Disaster Risk Reduction Framework Implementation Capacity Building for Natural Disasters Strategic Discussions on Global Disasters APEC Response to Recurring Regional Disasters