The 10th session of the APDIM governing council, held in New Delhi, focused on inclusive disaster risk data governance.

New Delhi, November 22, 2025: The 10^th session of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM), the Governing Council, focused on inclusive disaster risk data governance, was held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Indian delegation was led by Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Disaster Management.

The delegation also included Rajendra Singh, Member of the Head of Department at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Manish Bhardwaj, Secretary, NDMA.

India reaffirmed its commitment to work closely with APDIM and regional partners:

In his opening address, Nityanand Rai reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening regional disaster resilience and cooperation.

He noted that under India’s chairmanship, guided by the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country will promote a comprehensive capacity-building agenda focused on risk assessment, geospatial technologies, impact-based forecasting, early warning dissemination, and climate-resilient infrastructure planning.

India reiterated its commitment to working with APDIM, UN ESCAP, and regional partners to reduce disaster and climate risks across Asia and the Pacific.

Rai highlighted that these efforts are aligned with the Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda for disaster risk reduction, which stresses local investment, technological innovation, research networks, strengthened risk data systems, and enhanced regional cooperation.

Authorities expressed commitment to the cooperation:

The session concluded with a collective pledge to advance regional collaboration and adopt innovative strategies for disaster risk reduction.

Discussion included a review of APDIM’s activities over the past year, planned initiatives for 2026, and progress on the Strategic Action Plan 2020-2030.

The outcome will shape APIDM’s work program and contribute toward achieving the goals of the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Governing Council meeting was attended by delegations from Bangladesh, Iran, the Maldives, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, and an observer delegation from Tajikistan.

Senior representatives from UN ESCAP and APDIM, including Stephen Cooper, Director of Administration, UN ESCAP; Letizia Rossano, Director, APDIM; and Mustafa Mohangheg, Senior Coordinator, APDIM, were also present.

Also Read: IIT Roorkee developed the earthquake early warning app BhuDEV.

EOM.