RCG Eighth Session (2022)

Group Photo: Regional Consultative Group eighth session

The Government of Thailand, represented by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and supported by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), hosted the Eighth Session of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific from 01 to 03 December 2022 at the Holiday Inn Vana Nava in Hua Hin, Thailand. In total, 85 participants representing 17 countries and 50 organisations, government departments, military branches, and private sector partners attended the event. The RCG Eighth Session was organised with the support of the RCG Secretariat, represented by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), the Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) and the United States Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM).

The RCG Eighth Session was opened by Mr. Pradip Koirala, Joint Secretary, Disaster and Conflict Management Division, Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal – the RCG Chair in 2020-2021. Opening remarks on behalf of the RCG Secretariat were delivered by Ms. Deahne Turnbull, Director of International and Domestic Engagement, Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) and Ms. Edem Wosornu, Chief of the Response Support Branch of Coordination Division in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Pradip Koirala highlighted the unique value of the RCG as a multistakeholder forum that brings together people, organizations, and practitioners to foster cooperation and promote the sharing of best practices and knowledge in Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination and disaster preparedness and response. On behalf of the RCG Secretariat, Ms. Deahne Turnbull of ACMC and Ms. Edem Wosornu of OCHA both highlighted the severe challenges brought about by climate-related disasters across the Asia Pacific region and highlighted that Civil-Military Coordination is an integral part of disaster response and an essential component for how humanitarian, civilian and military actors can collectively meet the new and emerging humanitarian challenges facing the region.

The 2022 session focused on disaster triggers and issues that are increasingly driving humanitarian needs in the Asia Pacific region, with a special focus on the impact of climate-induced disasters, humanitarian negotiations in disaster response and the operational links between Civil-Military Coordination and protection. In his closing remarks, Mr. Markus Werne, Head of Office of the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, noted that one of the main takeaways from the Eighth Session of the RCG was that the role of the military in relief operations is expected to increase as climate-induced disaster events are becoming more frequent and more severe across the region. “That tells me that the RCG will become more relevant than ever and that it will also need to step-up its efforts to enhance the interoperability between humanitarian, civilian and military responders across the region. Capacity-building initiatives and joint exercises will also need to be scaled-up”, Mr. Werne concluded.

At the end of the Eighth Session, the RCG Secretariat welcomed the Government of Timor-Leste, represented by Mr. Licinio Branco, Director-General, Multilateral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Ismael da Costa Babo, President of the Civil Protection Authority (CPA), as the RCG Co-Chair for 2023 and thanked the Government of Timor-Leste for their support to the RCG

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