20-24 November, the LACER Project facilitated ASEAN study visit to Europe, where ASEAN disaster management officials participated in a programme including visits to DG ECHO and the ERCC in Brussels, followed by observation of a MODEX exercise in Serbia.

October 13 marks the international day for Disaster Risk Reduction, held every year since 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. The day is meant to acknowledge how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the risks we face. This year’s theme is Fighting inequality for a resilient future, which aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

During the reporting period LACER Project leadership convened to discuss ways to capture best practices and lessons learnt during the project lifespan, while also encouraging sustainability as the project has now entered its final six months of implementation. The team agreed on a number of measures including launching a coordination dialogue with senior leaders of AHA Centre on how to consolidate and share results from the project, formalising the relationship between ERCC and AHA Centre through a memorandum of intent, and also putting in place a Sustainability Plan to ensure the long-term effects of LACER on AHA Centre capacity development. The LACER leadership also agreed to plan a final event tentatively scheduled for 1 February 2024.

The summer months have been filled with LACER activities and we are pleased to share some highlights in this monthly report.

ARDEX, the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise, was successfully held 1-3 August 2023 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. ARDEX 2023 was organised by BNPB, the Indonesian national disaster management organisation, and the AHA Centre, with the support of the European Union through the EU-SAHA Project and with the participation of LACER experts.