The Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD) is a mechanism through which NGOs, businesses and governments in the Asia-Pacific region cooperate across borders to support disaster response. Modeled on Japan's Japan Platform and Civic Force, it aims to spread disaster-aid platforms across the countries of the region.
Its official launch was declared at the pre-conference of the 5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in October 2012. Since 2014, with contributions from the Japanese government, it has been building disaster-aid platforms in which chambers of commerce and NGO networks in each country take part.
Its core values include disaster aid that goes beyond country, region, religion and politics, as well as mutual help, humanity and transparency. Its website also shares reports on emergency assistance and training in places such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.
Key points
- A cross-border mechanism for disaster aid in which NGOs, businesses and governments take part
- "National platforms" are set up in each country, and mutual support among countries is encouraged
- Emergency response reports on floods, earthquakes and more, and training activities, are shared on its website
Why this organization deserves attention
Some disasters are too large for one country to handle alone. Its distinctive idea is a pre-agreed system in which funds and information can be provided quickly in an emergency.
Bringing together the strengths of governments, businesses and civil society is a major feature. Because the website offers the latest reports from each country, it is a helpful way to learn how disaster aid is coordinated on the ground.
Editor's comment
When we see news of a major disaster, many of us wonder what we can do. A-PAD's work shows that help reaches people when many different actors join forces, not just a single organization.
The website introduces activity reports from each country in Japanese and English. Why not start by reading a report from a country that interests you?