Participants of the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group meet on Monday in HCM City. — VNS Photo An Phương |
HCM CITY — More than 100 delegates from 21 APEC-member economies and non-APEC organisations met on Monday in HCM City to discuss how to best respond to natural disasters in the APEC region, which have become more frequent and severe within the region.
The 12th meeting of the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group was held within the framework of the on-going third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 3) and related meetings in the city.
Trần Quang Hoài, general director of the Việt Nam’s Directorate for Natural Disaster Prevent and Control, stressed the importance of regional connectivity in responding to natural disasters.
On Monday afternoon, the working group will continue discussions on a draft agenda for the 11th Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum in Nghệ An Province’s Vinh City, as well as measures to improve rural disaster resilience via infrastructure investment, among other proposals.
The 11th session of the working group was held in mid-February in Nha Trang City, Khánh Hòa Province. — VNS