UNDAC Dispatch, December 2023: Regional Highlight

A word from Haruka Ezaki, Regional Focal Point for Asia-Pacific.

Localization is happening in Asia-Pacific region. In 2023, UNDAC supported a number of regional and national initiatives on disaster response capacity development and interoperability.   
 

It is worth noting that five new countries joined or reengaged with UNDAC network in the Pacific: Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu. In the Pacific, UNDAC supported the National Emergency Response Team (NERT), which is the nationalized UNDAC system, in Fiji and Solomon Islands. 
 
In Fiji, two national UNDAC members from Asia-Pacific participated in the national disaster response exercise to test the interoperability between national and international responders. In Asia, OCHA supported the Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) training to ensure the interoperability between the regional and international response systems. 
 

We participated in various ASEAN-ERAT training courses including the Induction course, the Level 2 Information Management and Assessment courses, as well as the ERAT Refresher course and ERAT Localization Training for Trainers in Vietnam. UNDAC was also part of ASEAN Regional Disaster Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX), which takes place every second year. 
 
We are looking forward to continuing to support those regional and national initiatives to strengthen the localization effort, and to ensure the smooth scaling up of response operation when extra resources are required. 

Nurul Fatien from Malaysia (left) and James Mauai from Samoa (right), participated in the Fiji National Simex as UNDAC Members to test iterability of Fiji national disaster response system to international context. October 2023 in Suva, Fiji.