The Laos-Japan online seminar on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) was held at ICTC on Jun 18 with participation of defence officials and experts from both countries.
The seminar was organized as a part of capacity building and cooperation projects initiated by Lao and Japanese defence ministries in 2018.
The seminar aimed at sharing lessons and experiences of disaster responses by the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JSDF) and the Lao People’s Army (LPA), as well as presenting the achievements of the HA/DR training conducted by LPA last year.
The participants also had a lively discussion on prevention measures to manage risks of COVID-19 infection during HA/DR operations at the area affected by natural disasters.
After a series of devastating flood disasters left serious damages across the Lao PDR in the past several years, LPA’s role and capacity in emergency response to natural disasters has much increased its importance.
The lessons learned from this seminar are expected to be translated into improved HA/DR operations and up-to-date emergency management plan, and transferred to LPA practitioners on the ground.
In the closing remarks, representatives from both sides praised the successful and fruitful results delivered by the seminar.
They also extended sincere appreciation to all the experts and authorities involved. Furthermore, both sides expressed hope for further enhancing defence cooperation between the two countries through bilateral and multilateral frameworks, including ‘Vientiane Vision 2.0’ agreed by ASEAN and Japanese Defence Ministers in 2019.
Source: Lao News Agency