Draft 2 – 9 October 2008
Third Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
Kuala Lumpur
2-4 December 2008
Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia 2008
1. We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the countries of Asia and the Pacific,
attending the Third Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Kuala
Lumpur on 2-4 December 2008,
2. Alarmed by the increasing impact of recent disasters in Asia, including Cyclone Sidr in
Bangladesh which killed more than four thousand people; the Wenchuan Earthquake in
China with more than 80 thousand people killed and over 45 million people affected; the
recent floods in Bihar & Orissa in India and Nepal; and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar with
over 130 thousand people killed or missing and an estimated 2.4 million people affected;
3. Concerned that the Asia and Pacific region, home to 61 per cent of the world's population,
thus remains by far the region most affected by disasters in terms of human and economic
impacts, but also in occurrence, threatening to roll back hard earned development gains
and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region.
4. Appreciating that the losses, damages and costs of disasters have been reduced where
Governments and the international community made dedicated investments into disaster
risk reduction;
5. Aware of the changing nature of disaster risk in the region brought about by the likely
increase in weather and climate hazards and the increased vulnerability of communities to
hazards;
6. Recognizing the need to scale up commitment and promote innovative approaches to
reduce disaster risk to achieve the goals of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015:
Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters;
7. Noting recent international and regional developments, which are expected to further the
course of disaster risk reduction in Asia and Pacific, such as the recognition of disaster
risk reduction by the Bali Action Plan of the United National Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC); the launch of the South-South Cooperation programme
under the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and recovery (GFDRR); the tripartite
process of the Government of Myanmar, ASEAN, and the UN following Cyclone Nargis;
and the decision by Foreign Ministers of China, Japan, and Korea at the sides of the G8
Summit to cooperate on disaster management issues;
8. Acknowledging the leadership of the Governments of China and India in hosting the first
and second Asian Ministerial Conferences on Disaster Risk Reduction;
9. Noting the achievements of the Asian Ministerial Conference process, including the
raising of awareness at the high level on the importance of disaster risk reduction issues in
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the region; the facilitation of national activities led by Governments and civil society
organizations; the adoption of a UN/ESCAP Resolution on regional cooperation in the
implementation of the HFA; the implementation of activities called for by the Delhi
Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia 2007 by the ISDR Asia Partnership,
including improved regional coordination, regional mapping of activities on DRR, and the
improved monitoring and reporting of progress against the HFA in the region;
10. Recognizing that governments cannot reduce the risk of disasters alone, and that other
stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, National Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies and civil society organizations, need support to assist governments
ensure appropriate implementation of the recommendations of the Asian Ministerial
Conferences.
11. Appreciating the theme and objectives of the Third Asian Ministerial Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction “Multi-stakeholder Partnerships for Disaster Risk Reduction From National to Local”;
12. Hereby adopt the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Disaster Reduction in Asia 2008 and call
on regional and national disaster reduction stakeholders to:
Under HFA Priority One: Governance
13. On Mobilizing Resources for Disaster Risk Reduction
a) Integrate disaster risk reduction into national, sub-national and sectoral development
planning; and encourage the setting of voluntary targets in allocating resources for disaster
risk reduction at national and local levels, including by the private sector.
b) Build capacities to evaluate the financial and economic costs and benefits of disaster
risk reduction; and linked to this, build capacities to evaluate the direct and indirect socioeconomic impacts of disasters to help promote greater investments in disaster risk
reduction in the region.
c) Call on the international donor community to increase the portion of its development
assistance budgets for disaster risk reduction and HFA implementation in the region.
d) Request to implement in the region by 2010 the proposal tabled at the 2005 World
Conference on Disaster Reduction to apportion at least 10% of humanitarian assistance
funds for disaster risk reduction.
14. On Involvement and Empowerment of Local Governments and Civil Society in Disaster
Risk Reduction
a) Accelerate ongoing efforts towards decentralized disaster risk reduction by building
local capacity to integrate disaster risk reduction into local development planning.
b) Ensure an increasing number of highly vulnerable communities are empowered and
involved in community based disaster reduction activities that include elderly people,
children and other groups with special vulnerabilities, in particular people with disabilities
as a means to promote their right for protection and socially inclusive disaster reduction.
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c) Recognize that disasters impact women differently and to make special efforts to
mainstream gender in disaster risk reduction so as to reduce women’s disaster
vulnerability and empower women to strengthen their important role in disaster risk
reduction.
Under HFA Priority Two: Risk Identification and Early Warning
15. On High Technology and Scientific Applications to Disaster Risk Reduction, including
Climate Change Adaptation
a) Promote or strengthen the establishment of inter-ministerial committees on disaster risk
reduction and climate change adaptation, as well as multi-stakeholder National Platform
on Disaster Risk Reduction, in follow-up to the Bali Action Plan of the United National
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
b) Invest further in cost-effective and widely accessible technologies in support of early
warning, multi-hazard risk assessment and disaster risk reduction efforts, including the
development of National Emergency Telecommunications Plans and supporting Standard
Operation Procedures (SOPs),
Under HFA Priority Three: Knowledge and Information
16. On Public Awareness and Education for Disaster Risk Reduction
a) Scale up the implementation of the 2007 Bangkok Action Agenda on School Education
and Disaster Risk Reduction with the goal promote inclusive education through the
systematic integration of disaster risk reduction into school curricula, informal and non
formal education and regular teachers’ training to ensure safe education for all by 2015.
b) Call on donors to provide financial support to build and/or retrofit schools and
education facilities to meet disaster resilient standards.
17. On Engaging the Media in Disaster Risk Reduction
a) Promote training opportunities to regional, national and local media representatives and
journalists on how to generate a greater awareness of the public on the risks they face and
possible risk reduction and disaster preparedness measures.
b) Develop early warning broadcasting systems for the Asia Pacific region, in close
coordination with the concerned national, regional or international organizations, and
especially the meteorological services.
Under HFA Priority Four: Reducing Underlying Risk Factors
18. On Public Private Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction
a) Develop guidance materials and tools for enhancing private and public partnerships for
disaster risk reduction based on the experiences and good practices in the region.
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b) Promote catastrophe risk financing in the dialogue on disaster risk management and
create an enabling environment for the development of catastrophe risk insurance markets
that provide financial incentives for disaster risk reduction.
Under HFA Priority Five: Preparedness for Effective Response
19. On Legal Preparedness
a) The strengthening of legal preparedness for international disaster cooperation, in
particular through the promotion and use of the Guidelines for the Domestic Facilitation
and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance adopted by
the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in
November 2007, in line with HFA Priority 5.
We, the Ministers and other high level representatives of the countries in Asia and
the Pacific attending the Third Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction:
20. Request the Asia and the Pacific regional office of the UNISDR to identify regional
champions for disaster risk reduction, starting with Mr./Ms. XXXX and Mr./Ms. YYYY,
who will carry the messages agreed to in this declaration to the Second Session of the
Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, in June 2009 and beyond.
21. Commit to set voluntary national targets to increase investments in disaster risk reduction
and financial resources from national budgets.
22. Commit to the promotion, wherever appropriate, of disaster risk reduction as an integral
component of adaptation efforts in regional and international fora leading to the 15th
Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
Copenhagen, December 2009, as suggested in the Bali Action Plan.
23. Commit to report on progress made in implementing the HFA at the Second Session of the
Global Platform in June 2009; and to establish in our countries regular and multistakeholder mechanisms for monitoring, advising and reporting mechanisms for disaster
risk reduction and the HFA.
24. Commit to align relevant recommendations from this Declaration within our existing
policies, strategies and action plans for disaster risk reduction and climate change
adaptation and report on their implementation at the Forth Asian Ministerial Conference
on DRR in 2010;
25. Invite the Asia and the Pacific regional office of the UNISDR to coordinate with members
of the ISDR Asia Partnership the preparation of a Regional Action Plan on the Kuala
Lumpur Declaration, and to report on progress at the Fourth Asian Ministerial Conference
on DRR; also call on donors to support the implementation of this Regional Action Plan.
26. Hereby launch the Kuala Lumpur Initiative, a regionally coordinated and nationally
implemented programme on the promotion of public private partnership for disaster risk
reduction, guided by Government of Malaysia and supported by the hosts of the Second
and Fourth Asian Ministerial Conferences on DRR, the Government of India and the
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Government of Republic of Korea. This initiative will form one part of the Regional
Action Plan of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration;
27. We, the Ministers and other high level representatives of the countries of Asia and the
Pacific attending the Third Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, and
on behalf of all other participants, place on record our sincere gratitude and high
appreciation to the Government and people of Malaysia for their gracious hospitality in
hosting and organizing the Conference and welcome the offer of the Government of South
Korea to host the Fourth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in
Incheon, in 2010.
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