The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) will enter into force by the end of the year after ratification by all 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the Philippines.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat, the Philippines ratified the AADMER last September 14, the last to do so among ASEAN members.

The instrument of ratification will be deposited with the secretary-General of ASEAN by October.

"I would like to thank all ASEAN Member States for their determination in ratifying the Agreement. This marks a significant milestone in ASEAN's collective efforts to build a disaster-resilient community by the year 2015," said ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan.

The ASEAN Secretariat said that the AADMER is a regional legally-binding agreement that binds ASEAN Member States together to promote regional cooperation and collaboration in reducing disaster losses and intensifying joint emergency response to disasters in the ASEAN region. AADMER is also ASEAN's affirmation of its commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).

UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlström commended the ASEAN on this development, saying that the AADMER is the first of its kind in the world.

“I congratulate ASEAN and the Governments of Southeast Asia for their foresight and engagement in affirming their commitment to the HFA and for offering partnerships to the United Nations and other partner organizations to help achieve the objectives of the Agreement,” she said.

AADMER contains provisions on disaster-risk identification, monitoring and early warning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness and response, rehabilitation, technical cooperation and research, mechanisms for coordination, and simplified customs and immigration procedures. It also provides for the establishment of an ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Center) to undertake operational coordination of activities under the Agreement.