The Meeting of 8th Steering Committee of the ASEAN Academic Network on Disaster Health Management and 5th Editorial Board of the ASEAN Journal of Disaster Health Management

On 20–21 November 2025, the Steering Committee Meeting of the ASEAN Academic Network on Disaster Health Management (SC/AANDHM) was convened in Bangkok, Thailand, to promote and advance AANDHM activities. Prior to the SC/AANDHM Meeting, the Editorial Board Meeting of the ASEAN Journal of Disaster Health Management (AJDHM), the official journal of AANDHM, was also held at the same venue.

The Editorial Board Meeting discussed several key agenda items, including a progress report on the preparation for the publication of the second issue of AJDHM, the sharing of challenges related to ensuring the continuity of regular publication, and the confirmation of measures to strengthen the Editorial Board and clarify its roles and responsibilities. In addition, revisions to the Terms of Reference (TOR) were deliberated in preparation for the rotation of Associate Editors, including a review of eligibility requirements for Editorial Board members and external peer reviewers.

Following the publication of the inaugural issue in January of this year, maintaining regular publication has not been without challenges. However, thanks to the persistent and dedicated efforts of the Production Unit, progress has been steadily sustained. Furthermore, in anticipation of the completion of the first term of the current Editorial Board in March next year, the meeting also reviewed and revised the eligibility criteria for the selection of the next cohort of Editorial Board members, leading to active and constructive discussions.
AJDHM 2^nd Issue： https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/v3/AJDHM/issue/view/892

At this Steering Committee Meeting, the Chairmanship of the AANDHM was formally transferred to Thailand’s National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), which will lead the AANDHM Steering Committee for the next two-year term after hosting the ASEAN Academic Conference on DHM, held 18-20 November 2025.

During the meeting, updates from various ASEAN sectors were reported, and progress on official AANDHM activities was shared. In particular, active and constructive exchanges took place among Steering Committee members on key agenda items, including reporting immediately following the conclusion of the 3rd ASEAN Academic Conference on DHM, the establishment of Regional Training Centers, progress in AJDHM publication, and plans for follow-up technical cooperation succeeding the ARCH Project, so-called ARCH Plus Project. In addition, in light of the formal recognition of Timor-Leste as a Member State of ASEAN, two representatives from Timor-Leste participated in the meeting and delivered an introduction of their country to the AANDHM Steering Committee.