The foreign ministers of Malaysia and Thailand will undertake a joint humanitarian trip to Myanmar next week to assess the earthquake situation.
In a joint statement issued after their special emergency meeting following the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand, the ASEAN foreign ministers announced that Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa, will visit Myanmar on April 5.
Furthermore, they reaffirmed their commitment to working closely to coordinate humanitarian assistance, support and facilitate relief operations, and ensure a timely and effective humanitarian response, with the assistance of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
To ensure an effective and timely response to the disaster's impact, the ASEAN foreign ministers also decided to grant Myanmar’s request to activate the role of the Secretary-General as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator (SG-AHAC).
This role was established during the 14th ASEAN Summit in 2009 and is activated upon the request of an affected member country in the event of major disasters, including natural calamities and pandemics.
The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the SG-AHAC were adopted by the ASEAN Coordinating Council in May 2014. The TOR outlines the Secretary-General’s responsibilities in coordinating ASEAN’s collective response, ensuring the effective delivery of assistance, and recommending the timely activation of relevant ASEAN mechanisms.
The joint statement reaffirmed the importance of a safe and conducive environment in Myanmar to ensure the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
The ministers also encouraged all Myanmar stakeholders to prioritize humanitarian assistance and facilitate relief efforts.
“The ministers welcomed Myanmar’s readiness to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need in a timely and effective manner, without disruption or discrimination.”
