Sri Lanka, April 27 -- The 22nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief was held virtually earlier this week, hosted by Vietnam and co-chaired by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and attended by 55 participants from ARF member countries.

Sri Lanka as Co-Chair underscored the importance of collective response in addressing challenges posed by natural disasters and the importance of the ARF process in exploring synergies between climate change adaptation, climate mitigation and disaster risk management.

Referring to Sri Lanka's own experience as a nation that has experienced first-hand the devastating impact of natural disasters, the importance of preparedness, response and recovery efforts were highlighted...