An overview of the meeting (Source: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Member economies of the Asia-PacificEconomic Cooperation (APEC) have exchanged experience in emergency preparednessat a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City.
The 12th meeting of the Emergency Preparedness Working Group,from August 21-22, is part of the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 3).
Addressing the opening ceremony, Tran Quang Hoai, head of the GeneralDepartment for Natural Disasters Prevention ad Control under the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development, said since the beginning of this year, theAPEC region has faced abnormal natural disasters as well as global climatechange challenges.
Many types of natural disasters are posing threats to most of countriesworldwide, he said, noting that such natural disasters are increasing in bothfrequency and intensity, causing great losses and affecting production andbusiness activities as well as public health.
Therefore, it is a must to intensify information exchange and take moredrastic actions in order to minimise the occurrence of natural disasters in theregion, he said.
The official noted that natural disasters kill 300 people and causelosses worth more than 1 billion USD each year in Vietnam, which has beenlisted as one of the countries worst affected by climate change.
Many regions in Vietnam have faced serious riverbank and coastallandslides, and mountainous localities in the country have been hit by flooding,he said, stressing that natural disasters so far this year have left 100 peopledead.
Hoai called on the APEC economies to review regulations, work togetherto build a common mechanism and reach consensus on emergency preparedness inthe region.
During the meeting, the delegates will discuss issues regardingscientific and technological applications in combating such natural disastersas riverbank and coastal landslides, and floods.
Inter-sectoral projects on natural disasters response will also betabled at the meeting.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency reporters, Chen HongYu, a delegate from Taiwan (China), said that hit by many natural disasters, Taiwan hasfocused on disaster forecast work.
He suggested Vietnam and Taiwan cooperate in this field, addingthat Taiwan can help Vietnam set up an early warning system for naturaldisasters.
Most APEC economies aresituated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where strong earthquakes, tsunamis,and volcanic eruptions pose constant threats. The region is also the world’smost frequented by tropical cyclone formations, including yearly occurrences ofCategory 5 cyclones, or super typhoons. Furthermore, the Asia-Pacific Region issubjected to temperature changes in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the El Niñoand La Niña phenomena. All these conditions could be further exacerbated byclimate change.
APEC member economies experience 70 percent of alldisasters globally and sustain over 100 billion USD in related losses annually.-VNA
