The Department of National Defense on 10 March co-chaired the 22nd Meeting of the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Civil-Military Coordination to strengthen regional cooperation in disaster response and resilience.

DND Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Marita I. Yoro, in her capacity as chair of the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting Working Group, presided over the virtual meeting alongside co-chairs from Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore representing the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management Working Group on Preparedness, Response and Recovery.

Held via video teleconferencing, the meeting gathered representatives from the defense sector and national disaster management organizations of all ASEAN member states to promote cross-sectoral cooperation aimed at strengthening disaster resilience in the region.

This year’s meeting marked the first time that representatives from the ASEAN health sector participated in the discussions, expanding the scope of cooperation under the civil-military coordination mechanism to enhance regional disaster governance.

In line with the theme of the Philippines’ ASEAN 2026 chairmanship, “Navigating Our Future, Together,” Yoro emphasized the need to maximize the region’s collective capacity to address emerging challenges under the principle of “One ASEAN, One Response.”

She highlighted that civil-military collaboration remains essential in disaster risk mitigation and rapid response, noting the unique capabilities of regional armed forces in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Yoro also reaffirmed the commitment of the ASEAN defense sector to support the work of the civil-military coordination working group and broader regional initiatives aimed at reducing disaster-related losses while ensuring faster and more effective delivery of humanitarian aid.

The meeting also reviewed recent developments in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts under ASEAN mechanisms and discussed ways to further improve coordination and interoperability among participating sectors.

The ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting operates under the ASEAN Political-Security Community pillar as a key policy-making body in the regional defense sector.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management functions under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community pillar and leads the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, the bloc’s legally binding framework for coordinated disaster response.