The Red Cross Red Crescent has achieved remarkable results in saving thousands of lives every year by harnessing our network of volunteers to prepare for and respond to disasters.
However, preparing for and responding to disasters is essential but not sufficient. We need to do more, and do it in a better coordinated and holistic manner to build safer and more resilient communities. This is disaster risk reduction.
National Societies in South-East Asia have significant capacity in disaster response, and are often regarded as the major civil society disaster response agency in their own countries. When it comes to the broader issue of disaster risk reduction, the picture is somewhat different. Different National
Societies have focused on and addressed different aspects of disaster risk reduction and thus the capacities and experiences, as well as the gaps and limitations, in the region are unequally
distributed among them. There is a clear need to consolidate and enhance the capacity of all National Societies in order to gain a more even and higher competence of core components
of disaster risk reduction in the region.