The EPWG brings together the largest annual gathering of heads of emergency management agencies in the region to help APEC's 21 member economies - both individually and collectively - better prepare for and respond to disasters. The first APEC Emergency Management CEOs' Forum was held in Cairns, Australia in 2007. The 2008 Forum was held in Lima, Peru, and the 2009 and 2010 Forums were held in Ha Noi, Vietnam and Kobe, Japan respectively. The forums provide participants with the opportunity to share experiences, lessons learnt, tools and the latest thinking related to disaster preparedness, thereby helping to enhance regional cooperation and preparedness efforts.

In November 2008, APEC Leaders and Ministers welcomed the APEC-wide Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Asia Pacific Region 2009 - 2015, which was developed by APEC Emergency Management CEOs and EPWG members. The Strategy, which provides an important framework for APEC's current and future emergency preparedness activities, identified three important objectives:

1. To provide APEC economies with solid information on the economic and social costs of disasters and on the human and economic costs of failing to take action;
2. To analyze gaps in regional disaster risk reduction approaches with a view to developing targeted capacity-building initiatives; and
3. To identify a suite of practical mechanisms, instruments and communication products for implementation at a community level, including measures that enhance business and community resilience.

An implementation plan of the Strategy is currently underway in 2010 with the lead of Peru and a steering committee. The plan will identify who would be responsible for implementation, how APEC Senior Disaster Management Officials might play a role, and how the proposed implementation plan would fit with the EPWG’s annual work plan.

The EPWG is also building a library of APEC-wide principles and information resources to support the development of emergency preparedness capabilities in the region, including:

• An APEC stock take of best practices and capacity building needs (2008)
• APEC Principles on Disaster Response and Cooperation (2008)
• APEC Principles on Disaster Damage and Loss Assessments (2009);
• An electronic library of disaster risk reduction school education material (under development); and
• A virtual advisory group on Long Term Capacity Building for Disaster Reduction (under development)
  

APEC’s Emergency Preparedness activities in 2008 and 2010 include:

A “Study Course on Disaster Emergency Response and Recovery” held in Beijing, China in April 2008. The course provided a platform for officers in disaster management from APEC economies to exchange information and enhance capabilities in emergency response and recovery. The course included the participation of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and discussed topics including disaster rehabilitation and social resources mobilization.

A “Dialogue among APEC Economies, Business Community, International and Regional Partners on
Emergency Preparedness” held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam in April 2008. The dialogue aimed to strengthen cooperation and coordination among the public and private sectors to build up a comprehensive preparedness strategy for risk reduction and disaster relief. Participants included the WFP, the Pacific Disaster Center and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

A “Workshop on Large Scale Disaster Recovery” organized by Chinese Taipei and China in September 2008. The workshop was convened in response to the Sichuan Earthquake and provided a forum to share post-disaster recovery experiences and best practice examples. It included on-site visits to earthquake-affected areas in Chinese Taipei and China. At the end of the workshop, participants provided a set recommendation to APEC Leaders that called for public education, better public-private partnerships, and community involvement in post-disaster recovery.

A “Workshop on Damage Assessment Techniques” held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in July 2009. The three-day workshop developed best practice guidelines to conduct post-disaster damage assessments as processes to assess the magnitude of economic damage caused by disasters are inconsistent. Improved knowledge about damage assessment systems from an economic perspective would facilitate recovery by accelerating communication and responses among aid recipient and aid donor economies in the immediate post-disaster period.

A “Workshop on the Framework of Long-Term Capacity Building for Disaster Risk Reduction in APEC” held in Chinese Taipei between November-December 2009. The workshop contributed to improving the regional capacity of emergency management by means of sharing best practices and success stories. Participants included senior disaster coordinators, government officials, and representatives from emergency-related NGOs. The outcomes provided guidance for future EPWG projects in long-term capacity building.

A “Workshop on Hazard Mapping and Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA)” was held in Chinese Taipei in October 2010. The workshop provided foundational concepts, skills, and resources for consistent and comprehensive emergency preparation within APEC economies. This included building capacity in critical methods to carry out risk reduction strategies by increasing conceptual understanding of RVA processes. A specific unit on gender equality and disaster risk reduction was also incorporated.