MANILA, Philippines – Ministers and heads of disaster management agencies from across ASEAN will gather in Manila this September 15 to 16 for the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience (AMCDR), a flagship event of the Philippines' 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship confronting one of the region's most persistent and costly challenges: its exposure to disaster.
Southeast Asia sits within the Asia-Pacific, the most disaster-prone region in the world. ASEAN Member States face multiple hazards, including typhoons, floods, earthquakes, droughts, and extreme weather intensified by climate change. These hazards increasingly interact with rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and other pressures, creating systemic, cascading, and compounding risks.
The stakes extend beyond any single disaster. ASEAN represents one of the world’s most dynamic economic regions, with a combined gross domestic product exceeding USD 3.6 trillion and a population of more than 670 million. As a major hub for global trade, manufacturing and investment, disaster disruptions can ripple through supply chains and markets far beyond Southeast Asia. Strengthening disaster resilience is therefore essential to sustainable development, economic security and regional stability.
ASEAN is not starting from zero. For two decades, the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) has provided the foundation for regional cooperation on disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response and resilience. Regional mechanisms such as One ASEAN One Response, the AHA Centre and the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN demonstrate the value of collective action. But the next five years represent ASEAN’s decisive window for action. As the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction approaches its 2030 horizon and ASEAN implements the AADMER Work Programme 2026–2030, the challenge is to move from commitments to implementation and deliver measurable resilience outcomes at national and local levels.
Held under the theme “Twenty Years of AADMER: Advancing Global Commitments Toward a Resilient ASEAN Beyond 2030,” AMCDR will bring together ministers, heads of national disaster management organizations, senior government officials, international organizations, development partners, experts, and representatives from the private sector and civil society to advance the region’s disaster resilience agenda. Hosted by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) under the Department of National Defense (DND), the Conference is being convened in its capacity as the Philippines’ National Disaster Management Office (NDMO). The Conference will focus on how ASEAN can translate regional and global disaster resilience commitments into implementation, covering disaster risk reduction, preparedness, anticipatory action, emergency response, recovery, financing, innovation, and whole-of-society resilience.
Among the speakers are Hon. Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., Secretary of the Department of National Defense and Chairperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC); Hon. Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, Special Envoy of the President on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of the Philippines; H.E. Dr. Abdul Muhari, Deputy Minister of the National Disaster Management Authority of Indonesia and Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (AMMDM); and H.E. San Lwin, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
Across the two-day program, discussions will move from translating existing regional and global commitments into action to shaping ASEAN’s longer-term resilience agenda.
Day 1 – From Commitments to Action
The first day of the Conference will focus on moving from commitments to action. Opening ceremonies and high-level discussions will set the direction for the Conference, followed by sessions on advancing the Sendai Framework through the AADMER Work Programme 2026–2030, strengthening risk knowledge and early warning systems, and advancing anticipatory action through innovation and partnerships.
Discussions will also examine how regional frameworks can be translated into local action, including through stronger civil defense and public protection systems, institutional preparedness, and community capacities. Together, these discussions will consider how ASEAN can better understand risk, anticipate impacts, prepare institutions and communities, and act earlier and more effectively before disasters escalate.
The first day will also see the launch of the ASEAN Risk Monitor and Disaster Management Review, a regional knowledge product providing perspectives on disaster risk and disaster management across ASEAN.
Day 2 – From Recovery to Future Resilience
The second day will turn toward recovery readiness and ASEAN’s longer-term resilience agenda. Discussions will cover building back better, disaster risk financing, ASEAN’s post-2030 resilience vision, systemic and emerging risks, whole-of-society preparedness, community resilience, and private-sector engagement.
Across these discussions, the Conference will emphasize that resilience is not solely the responsibility of disaster management authorities. Governments, communities, businesses, civil society, development partners, and other sectors all have roles in protecting development gains, strengthening preparedness, reducing future risk, and ensuring continuity and recovery when disasters occur.
The Conference is expected to culminate in the Manila Declaration on Advancing ASEAN’s Disaster Resilience Agenda Towards 2030 and Beyond, reflecting the shared direction emerging from AMCDR and reinforcing ASEAN’s commitment to accelerate disaster resilience through 2030 and beyond. The Conference discussions and outcomes are also expected to inform broader ASEAN-level consideration of the region’s future disaster resilience agenda.
As host and ASEAN Chair in 2026, the Philippines is advancing regional dialogue and collective action toward a more resilient and future-ready ASEAN. The country previously hosted the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2024 and enacted Republic Act No. 12287 in 2025, institutionalizing anticipatory action ahead of impending disasters.
The outcomes of AMCDR are expected to contribute to the broader work of ASEAN under the Philippines’ 2026 Chairmanship, including discussions leading toward the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila in November. Twenty years of AADMER have built the foundation; the next five years are an opportunity to accelerate action and strengthen ASEAN’s resilience through 2030 and beyond.
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