The Final exercise planning team meeting and referee training for ARDEX 2025 is taking place in Phnom Penh from February 24-28. Supplied
The EU continues to play a significant role in supporting disaster preparedness in Cambodia, as well as the wider ASEAN region.
The EU provides funding and expertise to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
“Preparing for natural disasters we hope won’t happen! The two-yearly ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise will take place in Cambodia this year, supported by the EU,” announced EU Ambassador to Cambodia Igor Driesmans, via a February 27 social media post.
In line with these efforts, the Kingdom will host the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX) in July this year.
The simulation will serve as an important opportunity for ASEAN member states to practice and evaluate their disaster response strategies.
EU ambassador Igor Driesmans delivers his remarks to the final exercise planning team. Supplied
The ARDEX exercise is part of the ongoing collaboration between the EU and the AHA Centre, and is aimed at improving regional disaster management and preparedness.
“Planning meetings for ARDEX are now underway. EU support to partner countries for disaster risk reduction increased from 10 million EUR ($10.47 million) in 2014 to 845 million EUR ($885 million) in 2020,” said Driesmans.
“Through the humanitarian budget, the EU also allocates 76 million EUR ($79 million) annually to disaster preparedness,” he added.
In October 2024, the EU and ASEAN signed a pivotal agreement to enhance cooperation in disaster management.
The partnership focuses on knowledge exchange, expert deployment and the development of training programmes to improve preparedness and response capabilities across ASEAN member states.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, explained that the agreement exemplifies “concrete, results-oriented cooperation” in disaster management.
The ARDEX, founded in 2013 in Hanoi, Vietnam, is a large-scale disaster response drill organised by the AHA Centre, in collaboration with ASEAN member states and international partners.
It is designed to test and enhance regional capabilities in responding to major natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons.
