The Indo-Pacific is one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions, facing frequent earthquakes, tropical cyclones, and coastal flooding. In such a dynamic environment, proper risk management and disaster resilience are vital to preserving social order and safeguarding human life. Across the region, however, disaster risks vary significantly due to diverse hazard profiles, varying levels of exposure and vulnerability, and differing institutional capacities among countries and local governments. As a result, one-size-fits-all disaster policies are difficult to formulate and disaster management must be tailored to local conditions.

In response to these challenges, Countries across the Indo-Pacific are pursuing new forms of cooperation, from ASEAN’s Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA) to the Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), to strengthen preparedness and share best practices.

For instance, Japan, marking the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake this March, has accumulated extensive experience in disaster prevention, migration and recovery in terms of policy, education and technology. Through regional cooperation initiatives, Japan is increasingly sharing this expertise to enhance disaster resilience across the Indo-Pacific.