The European Commission on Tuesday announced a new humanitarian aid package of 鈧�21.5 million for the Asia-Pacific region, bringing the total EU support to almost 鈧�95 million in 2024.
The new funding will support humanitarian projects in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia, said a press release shared by the European Union delegation office in Dhaka.
鈥楩urthermore, a new EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight taking essential supplies for victims of typhoon Yagi, that left a trail of destruction in the Asia-Pacific region, is being launched and due to arrive in the coming days in Laos,鈥� said the release.
The announcements came as Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenar膷i膷, is visiting the Philippines and Indonesia this week to reinforce cooperation in disaster preparedness and response with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries in the region.
Janez Lenar膷i膷 said, 鈥楾he ongoing monsoon season has been particularly hard in Southeast Asia, where several countries have suffered severe floods and cyclones. As climate-induced disasters become more frequent and intense, it is even more important to reinforce international cooperation for better preparedness and efficient response.鈥�
The commissioner said that he was convinced that this agreement between the EU and ASEAN disaster management bodies would bring many gains, allowing us to learn from each other and better protect our populations.
Later this week in Jakarta, the commissioner will attend the signature of an agreement on disaster management between the EU鈥檚 department for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and ASEAN鈥檚 Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), according to the release.
It mentioned that the agreement would further strengthen cooperation between the EU and ASEAN countries in preparedness and response to disasters by exchanging knowledge and best practices between ASEAN and the EU, deploying and exchanging experts and developing training programmes
Furthermore, during his stay in Jakarta, the commissioner would mark the 20th anniversary of the devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004, recalling the EU solidarity during the response, said the release.