Analysis of Regional Cooperation from the Perspective of Regional and Global Geo-Political Developments and Future Scenarios

Abstract

AbstractDisasters are not constrained by political boundaries. Most of the natural hazards in Asia are regional in nature. The geological, hydrometeorological, climatic or anthropogenic factors that cause these hazards transcend the political boundaries and can affect several countries simultaneously. The Indian Ocean Tsunami affected as many as eight countries in South and South East Asia. The South Asian earthquake of October 2005 damaged life and property in Pakistan and India. The typhoons that hit the Pacific islands each year affect a number of island countries at the same time. The Koshi river floods devastate parts of Nepal and India every monsoon and the Ganges floods maroon villages in India and Bangladesh. Similarly, when the Indus river floods it affects both Afghanistan and Pakistan and when the Brahmaputra floods it affects both China and India. Prevention, mitigation and resilience to transboundary catastrophes require strong bilateral and regional vision, cooperation and maturity. Past bilateral approaches show that the absence of l regional and multilateral integrated management frameworks poses difficulties for international and regional cooperation in disaster risk management. The Hyogo Framework for Action emphasises the importance of regional cooperation for disaster risk reduction (DRR). Accordingly, this chapter analyses the role of regional and international relations in triggering and reducing hazard and climatic risks, discusses relevant policy, political and institutional frameworks for international, regional and bilateral cooperation for DRR and provides practical guidelines to assist national governance systems to strengthen bilateral and regional approaches to DRR in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.KeywordsRegional cooperationInternational relationsDiplomacyHyogo Framework for ActionHumanitarian needs