REGIONAL COOPERATION ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN THE ASIA PACIFIC Disasters and International Law in the Asia-Pacific Workshop

Disaster law International –UN Resolution 46/182; –Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters. Domestic –IFRC - Guidelines for the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance 2

Question Is it really about law, and in particular international law, or about pre-existing pre drilled relationships? 3

International law NGOs arise out of necessity –Tas Fires Can we Help –Blaze Aid –Christchurch Student Army NGOs are not the subjects of international law. 4

Relying on Law “no plan survives contact with the enemy” Plans do work, but not, by definition, in a disaster, that’s what makes it a disaster. Can lead to a focus on compliance and an expectation that everyone will follow the law or the plan and as we’ve been told communities don’t and neither do disasters. 5

‘nothing for community without community’ Australian National Strategy for Disaster Resilience anticipates resilient communities but it’s not looking to law. 6

Tasmania Fire Service 6 priorities: Warn the community Protect vulnerable people Protect key community assets Stop the spread of fire in built–up areas Protect other community assets Fight the fire 7

Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Save life as first priority Now leading to self help fire fighting as they want to set different priorities. 8

Law - ASEAN ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (2002). ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (2005). 9

Relationships US/Canada/Australia/NZ cooperative fire fighting. FRANZ agreement PIEMA - Pacific Islands Emergency Management Alliance 10

PIEMA - Pacific Islands Emergency Management Alliance between: Pacific Islands National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs), Pacific Islands Fire and Emergency Services Association (PIFESA), Members of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) and the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police. 11

Today ‘twinning’ with the fire services continues 12 AFACPIFSA Queensland Fire and Emergency ServicesPNG NSW Fire and RescueSolomon Islands and Vanuatu ACT Rural Fire ServiceKiribati Victoria Country Fire AuthorityTuvalu and Fiji Victoria Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Service BoardSamoa Tasmania Fire ServiceNauru South Australia Metropolitan Fire ServiceTonga New Zealand Fire ServiceCook Islands and Niue

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