The ARCH Project Receives the “WADEM Humanitarian Award for Excellence in Disaster Management” in 23rd WADEM Congress in Tokyo!

The ARCH Project participated in the 23rd Congress of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM 2025), held in Tokyo from May 2–6. Originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo in 2019, the congress had been postponed due to the global pandemic and was eventually held in Killarney, Ireland in 2023 before being rescheduled in Tokyo. The congress, which began with opening remarks by Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko, recorded its highest-ever attendance of more than 1,000 participants.

Co-hosted with the Japanese Association for Disaster Medicine (JADM), this congress held special significance for the ARCH Project, which marked its 10th year—the final year of the project’s implementation. During the congress, two special sessions were organized: the “ARCH Project Session” and the “ASEAN Academic Network on Disaster Health Management (AANDHM) Session.” These sessions provided valuable opportunities to introduce the ARCH Project to the international medical community.

Representatives of the ARCH Project counterparts delivered oral presentations in both sessions. *WADEM Programme

Date & Time: Saturday, May 3, 14:30–16:00 (Japan Time)
Chairs: Dr. Tatsuhiko Kubo, Dr. Tomoaki Natsukawa
Speakers (in order of presentation):

The session opened with a presentation by Dr. Phumin, who was involved in establishing the ARCH Project. He provided an overview of the Project’s background, achieved areas of activity, and key success factors that enabled the establishment of a regional framework for disaster health management in ASEAN together with Japan.
Building on this, Dr. Kai, Chair of the JAC, and Dr. Natsukawa, the member of JAC, presented on the history and overview of collaboration between Japan and ASEAN in disaster health management, the role of the JAC, and the direction of future Japan–ASEAN cooperation for further advancement in this field.

Next, Dr. Kriangsak, from the RCCDHM Secretariat—which was established through the ARCH Project and officially positioned within the ASEAN Health Cluster framework—gave a presentation on the coordination and collaboration mechanisms supporting ASEAN policies and regional operations in disaster health management.

Finally, Mr. Sean Casey from the WHO WPRO shared insights on EMT development initiatives in the Western Pacific Region, which includes parts of ASEAN, as well as future challenges and areas for development.

Date & Time: Monday, May 5, 14:00–15:30 (Japan time)
Chairs: Dr. Shinichi Egawa, Dr. Ryoma Kayano
Speakers (in order of presentation):

In addition to AIDHM, the AANDHM Session featured speakers from WHO and the Editor-in-Chief of PDM. Prof. Yodi, Head of AIDHM, presented the strategy of the ASEAN academic network and reported on the launch of its official journal, the AJDHM (ASEAN Journal on Disaster Health Management), while encouraging broader participation in advancing academic research on disaster health management in the ASEAN region and beyond.

Representing AIDHM as well, Ms. Maryami reported on the framework of the joint research programme that began in 2023 and discussed the challenges ahead. While carrying out joint research across multiple countries—even among allied nations—offers the significant advantage of broadening perspectives, she also shared the practical challenges that must be addressed in such collaborative efforts.

From the WHO Headquarter, Mr. Flavio emphasized the importance of generating scientific evidence from real-world disaster response activities. Then, Dr. Jeffrey spoke on the philosophy behind academic journal editing and PDM’s vision for capacity development in the field of disaster and emergency medicine.

At the closing ceremony on the last day of the congress, the ARCH Project was presented with the “Humanitarian Award for Excellence in Disaster Management.” This award is given to organizations and projects that have made significant contributions to the advancement of disaster and emergency medicine and is typically announced at the biennial WADEM Congress. The recognition of the ARCH Project represents global acknowledgment of its efforts in developing regional coordination frameworks, training systems, and academic platforms aimed at delivering faster and more effective disaster health management in the ASEAN region.

Receiving this award at the milestone of the project’s 10th and final year is a great honor. We express our sincere respect and gratitude to all those who have contributed with patience and dedication to the development of disaster health management in the region through the ARCH Project. For the remainder of the project period, we remain committed to further strengthening collaboration between ASEAN and Japan, with the shared vision of realizing “One ASEAN, One Response.”