Establishment of an Integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) System to Strengthen the Operation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre) – Phase IV

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system is integral in the operations of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre) as the regional coordinating agency on disaster management and emergency response. Since 2011, JAIF has been a consistent partner in sustaining the AHA Centre’s ICT development, with three projects implemented in phases. In ICT Phase I, the AHA Centre’s ICT infrastructure was established, along with capacity-building related activities for the AHA Centre ICT personnel and also ASEAN Member States (AMSs). For ICT Phase II, the focus was on enhancing connectivity between the AHA Centre and AMS National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs). Finally, under ICT Phase III, the AHA Centre’s ICT operational capacity was further enhanced through the establishment of a disaster recovery backup and Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) backup office.

Sustaining and keeping up with the fluid nature of ICT systems are a must especially in the context of disaster management. Hence, there is further need to enhance the AHA Centre’s ICT system’s capability not only to protect the strides already made through the first three phases but also to expand and cover other areas of disaster management such as prevention and recovery.