Asia and Europe are the two continents enduring the highest frequency of natural disasters. The Asia-Pacific suffered up to 70 percent of global natural disasters while two thirds of the victims of disaster are from Asia.
The figures were presented by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at an Asia-Europe Meeting ( ASEM) high-level meeting on disaster prevention and relief opened in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi on Monday.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Minh said the world is witnessing more frequent natural disasters with larger scale and more severe destructive power.
The Vietnamese official quoted a report on global climate released by the World Meteorological Organization as saying that over the first decade of the 21st century, the world has witnessed a record sea level rise along with harsh natural disasters including storms, floods, landslides and droughts. The year 2013 is among the 10 years with highest temperature since 1850. Global warming is affecting the global ecology, resulting in abnormal natural disasters.
As an inter-regional forum with 51 members from the two continents, the ASEM, with its significant technological potential and economic achievements, is responsible for contributing to the international efforts in responding to natural disasters.
During the two-day meeting, as many as 120 representatives from the ASEM and other international organizations will convene four plenary sessions discussing disaster risks reduction, research and policies in building recovery capacity and strengthening cooperation between Asia and Europe in disaster response.
