RCC Mechanism
Evolution of RCC
The Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) was established in 2000 by the Asian
Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). It was one of the early regional fora to
promote consultation and cooperation in reducing disaster and climate change risk
in Asia and the Pacific. The RCC aims to provide a consultative mechanism for
guiding the implementation of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and Climate Resilience
(CR) efforts, promoting transboundary cooperation, designing regional programs,
and guiding ADPC in its future work and strategies in the region.
Today, ADPC facilitates the RCC as one of its main institutional organs. It enables the
management and operation of the mechanism, in addition to following up on the
statements issued by member countries after each RCC meeting.
Objectives of the RCC
The RCC is part of ADPC’s wider engagement and defined in the ADPC Charter,
providing the organization with key inputs and guidance from RCC member countries. It helps to identify disaster-related needs and priorities of its members, promote regional and sub-regional cooperation programs, and develop regional
action strategies for DRR and CR. The RCC is, as defined in Article 8 of the ADPC
Charter, set up for the following measures.
- The development of action strategies for disaster reduction in Asia and the Pacific
- Promoting cooperative programs on a regional and sub-regional basis
- Providing guidance to ADPC on its future work and strategies
Member Countries
To date, more than 20 countries are members of the RCC mechanism. Country membership is renewed on a three-year basis. The mechanism for renewal is managed by the RCC Secretariat. Additional members’ requests are considered by the RCC and recommended to the Chair of the Board of Trustees of ADPC, who invites a country to become a member of RCC (in accordance with Article 8.3 of the ADPC Charter).
The list of member countries is given below.
| Southeast Asia | East Asia | South Asia | Central and West Asia | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunei | China | Afghanistan | Kazakhstan | Papua New Guinea |
| Cambodia | South Korea | Bangladesh | Iran | |
| Indonesia | Mongolia | Bhutan | Jordan | |
| Lao PDR | India | |||
| Malaysia | Maldives | |||
| Myanmar | Nepal | |||
| Philippines | Pakistan | |||
| Thailand | Sri Lanka | |||
| Timor Leste | ||||
| Vietnam |
Operational Mechanism
The RCC mechanism is guided by the heads of National Disaster Management
Organizations (NDMOs) of member countries. Based on regional and national DRR
and CR priorities and needs as well as RCC meeting outcomes, ADPC mobilizes
resources for new projects and programs. At the same time, it aligns its ongoing
activities with member countries’ preferences; which are reflected through the RCC
meetings. ADPC, being the RCC’s Secretariat, reports its progress back to member
countries at the RCC meetings. In addition to the implementation of DRR and CR
activities by the RCC’s platform, organizing its meetings is a key aspect of the
mechanism. ADPC makes all technical and logistical arrangements in consultation
with, and through guidance from, the RCC Steering Committee.
RCC Steering Committee
The RCC Steering Committee is composed of RCC members, the Secretariat (ADPC),
and one observer representative. In total, it has 10 members. The details of the
Steering Committee are given below.
- Current or Outgoing Chair of Steering Committee: The RCC country that hosted the most recent meeting of RCC is the current or outgoing chair of the committee.
- Incoming Chair of Steering Committee: The RCC country that will host the next RCC meeting.
- Secretary: ADPC’s Executive Director acts as Secretary on behalf of the RCC Secretariat.
- Six RCC member representatives: Six RCC member representatives: three of ADPC’s Board of Trustees countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, or Thailand) and three RCC countries other than the nine listed before.
- Observers: An observer is invited from UN agencies, donors, academia, or international Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to provide inputs and comments on the RCC meeting.
Secretariat
ADPC acts as the Secretariat of the RCC. The Secretariat facilitates the
management and operations of the mechanism, in addition to following up
on the statements issued by member countries after every RCC Meeting.
Secretary
The Executive Director of ADPC acts as RCC Secretary on behalf of the RCC
Secretariat.
RCC Meetings
The first meeting of RCC was held in 2000 and hosted by Thailand. Since its
inception, 17 RCC meetings have been held so far.
Each meeting of the RCC has a special theme and sub-themes. During the sessions,
presentations are made by selected member countries on their achievements,
challenges, and good practices. The meeting also has separate sessions showcasing
the achievements, practices on disaster risk reduction (DRR) of the host country.
Apart from the presentations by the countries, group discussions are also held on
various issues related to regional cooperation for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and
Climate Resilience (CR).
The table below shows year-wise RCC meetings organized, host countries, and
meeting themes.
| RCC # | Year | Host Country | Meeting Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Thailand | DRR agenda-setting for RCC member countries |
| 2 | 2001 | Thailand | Flood Preparedness and Mitigation |
| 3 | 2002 | India | Drought Risk Management |
| 4 | 2004 | Bangladesh | Urban Risk Management |
| 5 | 2005 | Vietnam | Mainstreaming DRR into Development |
| 6 | 2006 | China | Mainstreaming DRR into Development/HFA |
| 7 | 2008 | Sri Lanka | Rights-based Community led Disaster Risk Management |
| 8 | 2010 | Philippines | Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction |
| 9 | 2011 | Cambodia | Linking DRR and CCA |
| 10 | 2013 | Mongolia | Integrated Planning for DRR, CCA, and Sustainability |
| 11 | 2014 | Myanmar | Reducing Disaster Risk and Transforming Development |
| 12 | 2015 | Bhutan | Resilient Development |
| 13 | 2016 | Pakistan | Operationalizing Global Frameworks |
| 14 | 2018 | Nepal | Policies and Practices for Coherence between Global Frameworks |
| 15 | 2020 | Thailand | Enhancing Regional Cooperation and Coherence for Resilient and Inclusive Societies |
| 16 | 2021 | South Korea | Financing Resilient Development in Asia and the Pacific |
| 17 | 2022 | Philippines | Sustainable Resilience Through Inclusive Governance, Finance, and Local Action |