Taiwan welcomes delegates for launch of global disaster alliance

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Taiwan welcomed disaster management officials and experts from around the world Friday ahead of the launch of a new international alliance aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness and response.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) jointly hosted a dinner in Taipei for delegates to the World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM), ahead of its official launch Saturday.

The WADM will bring together governments, emergency response agencies, businesses, academic institutions and civil society groups to cooperate throughout the disaster management cycle, Lin said.

The alliance will facilitate professional training, information sharing, capacity building, joint exercises and practical exchanges in disaster prevention, early warning, emergency response and post-disaster recovery, he added.

"Disasters and risks know no borders, and we need to work together to build resilience to these challenges," Lin said.

The WADM builds on President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) vision of turning the National Fire Agency Training Center in Nantou County into a major disaster response training hub for the Indo-Pacific, he added.

Liu said Taiwan's experience of receiving international assistance after the deadly 1999 Jiji earthquake underscored the importance of cross-border disaster cooperation.

Taiwan now conducts large-scale earthquake response drills annually and is prepared to offer international partners high-standard professional training at the Nantou center, she said.

This year's exercises included search-and-rescue teams from the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Fiji, as well as disaster medical teams from Australia and Japan, Liu said.

Palau Vice President Raynold Oilouch said at the dinner that his country was proud to be a founding member of the WADM.

Palau is vulnerable to typhoons, tsunamis and droughts and is currently experiencing its driest conditions in more than two decades, he said.

Oilouch said the expertise brought together through the WADM could provide valuable guidance as Palau prepares for what could become a catastrophic drought.

Delegates are scheduled to visit the National Fire Agency Training Center on Sunday.