India took over as Chair of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) for 2024-25, playing a pivotal role in global and regional Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).ADPC is an autonomous international organisation focused on disaster risk reduction and climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific region.It was founded by India and eight neighboring countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.India has taken over this chairmanship from China, which was the chairman of this Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in the year 2023-24. As a representative of the Government of India, Rajendra Singh, Head of the Department of National Disaster Management Authority, has assumed the chairmanship of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center. Rajendra Singh has also chaired the 5th Board of Trustees meeting of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center held on 25 July 2024 in Bangkok.
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
The main objective of the establishment of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)
- The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center was established in 1986 as a non-profit, autonomous, regional organization.
- The objective of this center is to encourage regional cooperation and implementation in disaster risk reduction and building climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific region.
Main functions and role of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)
- The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) is an autonomous international organization that focuses specifically on climate change and disaster risk reduction in Asia and the Pacific region. • The Centre provides a coherent mechanism to address the existing and emerging negative impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
Special Initiatives and Support Launched by Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre
- The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) supports global initiatives on climate resilience and urban resilience.
- Its main objective is to make the humanitarian response to disasters more effective, enabling societies and regional communities to cope with disasters with better preparedness and response mechanisms.
- Thus, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre is playing a vital role in disaster management and climate resilience at the regional and global levels.
India has played a vital role in the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR), particularly through the establishment of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). India demonstrates its commitment to the Sendai Framework (SFDRR), which India signed during the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015. The legal and institutional framework for disaster management in India is established under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. In India, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the apex body responsible for policy formulation relating to disaster management, while the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) oversee state and district level policies and plans.