A ceremony in response to the International Day for Disaster Reduction and ASEAN Day for Disaster Management was held on Friday at Bãi Cháy Primary and Secondary School in Hạ Long City. — Photo from the Australian Embassy in Việt Nam

QUẢNG NINH — The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, in coordination with the Australian Embassy in Việt Nam and related partners, held a ceremony in response to the International Day for Disaster Reduction and ASEAN Day for Disaster Management at Bãi Cháy Primary and Secondary School in the northern province of Quảng Ninh's Hạ Long City on Friday.

The event drew the participation of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), representatives of natural disaster prevention and control agencies of ASEAN member states, ASEAN dialogue partners, United Nations agencies, international organisations and more than 300 students and teachers of the school.

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed by the United Nations every year on October 13. It is dedicated to fostering awareness about disasters and their impact on living beings as well as to praising individuals and groups working in the field of natural disaster prevention and control.

The day is also chosen as ASEAN Day for Disaster Management, aiming to attract the attention of the ASEAN community in this regard and call for international cooperation to join hands to build safe communities and areas that are resilient to natural disasters.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp emphasised that Việt Nam has achieved remarkable results in natural disaster prevention and control work.

He attributed the achievement to the efforts of the Government, ministries, agencies, localities and Vietnamese people as well as valuable assistance from international friends, including the Australian Embassy in Việt Nam which has provided much support to the MARD during its term as chair of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management in the past year.

Hiệp held that Việt Nam has shown itself as an active and highly reputable member of the bloc, in which ASEAN cooperation on natural disaster management is an important content in the bloc’s socio-cultural community pillar.

The deputy minister said 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Committee on Natural Disaster Management. This is an opportunity to congratulate the success of the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management and "Hạ Long Declaration in Early Action in ASEAN Disaster Management”, he added.

Shantanu Chakraborty, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director for Việt Nam and Co-Chair of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership, said that disaster prevention and combating requires the engagement of all countries, not only ASEAN member states but also every person around the world.

He went on to say that ADB always stands side by side with the Government and people of Việt Nam to join hands in efforts to manage, reduce risks, and overcome consequences caused by natural disasters. — VNS