Regional Context
The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone in the world, with frequently occurring natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical storms, flooding, landslides and volcanic eruptions affecting millions of people every year. These events are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, worsened considerably by the effects of climate change and growing population density. Conflicts, political instability and pandemics in the region also have dire humanitarian consequences.
What we do
Since its establishment in 2005, OCHA’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) has sought to minimise the vulnerability of populations in the region to humanitarian crises. ROAP has provided support and assistance to governments, UN agencies, NGOs and other humanitarian actors in response to a number of major natural disasters, including through the deployment staff with a range of technical expertise. The Regional Office also works to build response capacity in the region before disasters strike, by strengthening emergency preparedness.
ROAP staff have expertise in Public Information and Advocacy, Information Management, Civil-Military Coordination and Pandemic Preparedness, and also carry out work related to the Humanitarian Reform process including the promotion of inter-agency coordination at the regional level.
Where we work
ROAP covers 37 countries and 16 territories in the Asia-Pacific region. It is based in Thailand, with oversight for the office of the Regional Disaster Response Adviser for the Pacific in Fiji, National Disaster Response Advisers in Pakistan and the Philippines, and OCHA’s presence in Papua New Guinea. ROAP also provides technical support and surge capacity to OCHA field offices in Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste, as well as to the many countries in the region where OCHA does not have a presence.