RSIS Seminar by Mr Said Faisal, Visiting Senior Fellow, RSIS; and Senior Advisor to Minister/Head of BNPB (National Disaster Management Agency of Indonesia)

The NTS Centre hosted a seminar titled “AHA Centre – The First Five Years” on Friday, 9th February 2018 delivered by Said Faisal, Visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief programme and former inaugural executive director of the AHA Centre. The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) is an intergovernmental organisation, established by the ten ASEAN Member States with the aim to facilitate cooperation and coordination of disaster management amongst ASEAN Member States. The Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management was signed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers on 17 November 2011, and witnessed by the Heads of States of all ten ASEAN countries. In operationalising its mandate, the AHA Centre primarily works with the National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMO) of the ASEAN Member States. The AHA Centre also partners with international organisations, private sector, and civil society organisations, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the United Nations, and AADMER Partnership Group. Said Faisal was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the AHA Centre for a term of five years from 2011 to 2016. In this seminar Said Faisal reflected on his experience establishing the coordination centre, working with the Conference of the Parties to implement his vision and the challenges faced in operationalizing its mandate.