IDRL Asia Pacific Coordinator Victoria Bannon was asked to present to the group about the ASEAN Agreement for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), which has been ratified by Myanmar and several other ASEAN governments, as well as various other tools developed by the ASEAN Committee for Disaster Management to encourage greater cooperation for regional disaster response.
The group noted the many similarities between AADMER and the IDRL Guidelines on issues such as offers/requests for assistance, visas for relief personnel, customs and duty exemptions for relief goods and equipment, coordination with international relief providers and minimum standards of quality and accountability. It was pointed out (as reported in the March 2008 edition of the IDRL E-newsletter), that ASEAN has used the IDRL Guidelines in developing standard operating procedures for applying the AADMER. As ASEAN increases its role in assisting the Myanmar authorities to welcome greater international assistance, these provisions could provide a solid basis for facilitating its entry.
Participants at the meeting saluted the good cooperation that has grown up over the last few years between ASEAN and the Federation, in particular on the issue of IDRL. It was determined to strengthen this relationship in the context of the Nargis operation, and to actively participate in the advisory task force ASEAN has established with regard to its activities in Myanmar.
On June 9th , the Myanmar Red Cross joined the UN and other members in participating in a joint assessment team organized by ASEAN to determine the humanitarian needs in the Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) Delta