The “Network for Crisis Management” is a joint project of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21), and the annual Asian Crisis Management Conference brings together people responsible for crisis management. This event is hosted on a rotational basis by member cities of the project.

This year’s 12th Asian Crisis Management Conference was successfully held over a two-day period in Kuala Lumpur on October 1st and 2nd. On this occasion, we would like to report the outline of the conference.

Approximately 150 crisis management personnel from Bangkok, Metro Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo and the host city of Kuala Lumpur participated in this year’s event.

The conference commenced with the sound of a gong and a welcome speech from Dato’ Zaitun, the Director-General of the Malaysian Civil Defence Department. She was followed by the keynote address, which was delivered by Datuk Dr. Haji Wan Junaidi, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. The conference’s theme on this occasion was the “Essential Key of Resilience in Devastating Crisis and Disaster”. In his keynote address, the Deputy Minister pointed out that various regions have suffered a variety of disasters in recent years, and he stressed the importance of nurturing of resilience in each member city.

Representatives of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) Disaster Prevention Division, the Tokyo Fire Department and the Metropolitan Police Department reported on their respective efforts. They introduced the various training programs that Tokyo conducts, and the efforts to improve the level of “self-help”, which means to protect your life by yourself, at the community during times of disaster. They also discussed disaster prevention activities that involve children. The Tokyo staff also shared experiences with the participating cities regarding their preparation for potential acts of terrorism, which is an issue of concern for major cities, and mentioned how such matters are being addressed on a daily basis through the enhancement of partnerships with both governmental agencies and the private sector.

There were a number of presentations given by other cities on the conference theme as well. Many of them focused on introducing resident-centric approaches and disaster prevention programs that enhanced the capabilities of the community. After each presentation, there were numerous questions about the details of the various programs, etc., and this indicated a high level of enthusiasm among member cities to use each other’s case studies in order to improve their own outcomes.

On the second day of the conference, participants visited several facilities related to risk management in Kuala Lumpur. Firstly, they visited the Integrated Traffic Information System managed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall. This system monitors the city’s network of major roads around the clock. It contributes to the smooth running of the city’s transportation system by swiftly dispatching a response to the scene of accidents and by also providing a smartphone application to give the public real-time information on traffic conditions. Conference participants were lucky enough to be able to observe this system in operation.

Participants subsequently visited the Network Monitoring Center. This facility operates the “Government Integrated Radio Network”, which enables 14 Risk Management Organizations to share and access information when domestic risks occur. Participants received the explanation that when something happens, this wireless network enables information-sharing that results in a swift and decisive response. By visiting such facilities, participants could well appreciate the commitment of Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian Government to risk management planning.

Thanks to thorough preparation of the Malaysian Civil Defence Department and Kuala Lumpur City Hall, this year’s participating cities were able to share experiences and learn from each other’s efforts. We hope that the relationship among Asian major cities which has been steadily strengthened through the activities of the Network for Crisis Management including the Asian Crisis Management Conference to be further deepened; thus leading to a wider improvement in Pan-Asian disaster and crisis recovery.