JAKARTA, 1 April 2016 – The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre) announced the start of the third batch of the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme comprising sixteen officers from ASEAN Member States’ National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs). The official opening ceremony was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta with the presence of H.E. Dr. AKP Mochtan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs; H.E. Mr. Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN; and representatives from the ASEAN Member States.
During the ceremony, Dr. Mochtan reiterated the importance of the ACE Programme. “Through this Programme, ASEAN is enhancing the capacity of NDMOs in the region by equipping them with necessary skills and competencies that will enable them to embrace future challenges. After all, we all live in the most natural disaster-prone region in the world,” he said. The programme is designed to prepare future leaders of disaster management in ASEAN and this six-month training is open to all ASEAN Member States with an allocation of two persons each.
The ACE Programme requires the participants to commit to a six-month training programme worth 1000 hours, covering various disaster management and leadership topics. From hands-on experience working at the AHA Centre to training courses and workshops in various topics, they will also have comparative studies of disaster-affected areas in Japan, New Zealand and Indonesia. With this third batch, there are now 45 ACE participants so far, since the ACE Programme was first launched in 2014.
“We are truly delighted that the ACE Programme has entered its third batch. The ACE Programme is a testament of regional cooperation and that when it comes to disasters, the people come first. We at the AHA Centre are proud to be able to support in preparing future disaster management leaders who will not only contribute to their nations but also to ASEAN,” said Mr. Said Faisal, Executive Director of the AHA Centre.
“Disaster Management is one of the priority areas of ASEAN-Japan cooperation. Japan has supported the AHA Centre since its establishment in 2011 through various projects including the ACE Programme. We are pleased to provide the ACE Programme Officers with an opportunity for training in Japan, and hope it will contribute to sharing the lessons learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake as well as to building and consolidating the network for disaster management between ASEAN and Japan,” said H.E. Mr. Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN. The ACE Programme is managed by AHA Centre with support from the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).
In addition to support provided by Japan through JAIF, the ACE Programme is also supported by various organisations, including NDMOs of the ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Secretariat, Government of Australia, Government of New Zealand, Government of United States, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN World Food Programme, UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Subang, Malaysia, International Organisation for Migration, University of Canterbury, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, AADMER Partnership Group, United States Pacific Command, Indonesian Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, RedR UK, (RedR Australia), and the Civic Force Japan.
ASEAN Dialogue Partners and partner agencies supporting the ACE Programme attended the launch.
Link to presentation on AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme.
Link to AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme video.
About the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre)
The AHA Centre is an inter-governmental organisation established by ten (10) ASEAN Member States on 17 November 2011 with the aim to facilitate cooperation and coordination amongst ASEAN Member States and with relevant United Nations and international organisations in promoting regional collaboration in disaster management. The AHA Centre is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.