The “Asia Shelter Forum” (ASF) annual conference 2022 hosted by the Government of Bangladesh, under the leadership of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) with technical and financial support from ASF organizing committee members, is being held in Dhaka from 28-30 November. The theme of the conference is “Resilient Shelters and Settlements.”
As Asia is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climatic hazards, which are projected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change, safe and resilient homes are critical to allow families and communities to rebuild their lives after disaster, while reducing their risk and preparing for future disasters.
Against the backdrop of increased severity of natural disasters in Asia affecting the most vulnerable, the ASF conference is bringing together over 350 participants, in person and virtually, across Asia and globally from over 15 different countries. ASF aims to improve coordination, collaboration, share learnings and best practices relating to shelter among countries in the region by engaging governments, donors, development partners, shelter cluster mechanisms and humanitarian organisations and partners.
The two-day conference will be followed by a field visit by the delegates on 30 November where they will have the opportunity to see first-hand the Government of Bangladesh’s shelter efforts through the flagship Ashrayan project (translating as “Habitat”) showcasing scaling-up interventions targeting the vulnerable landless families, including those affected by natural disasters.
During the first day of the ASF conference the Honorable State Minister, Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman MP, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief inaugurated the event, and highlighted the significance of the ASF. “Asia Shelter Forum can be a great avenue where regional learning and sharing experience can mitigate vulnerabilities of the disaster-prone countries. I strongly believe that such a forum needs to be strengthened with an effective partnership and more robust collaboration so that we can work together to provide accountable assistance to support affected people to survive, recover and rebuild their lives with dignity,” said Mr. Rahman.
These opening remarks were followed by technical sessions focusing on best practices, lessons and challenges on shelter and settlement issues and interventions from Bangladesh and the Asia region. All sessions will document lessons learned and the way forward to strengthen Bangladesh shelter and housing as well as other countries in the region.
The second day will include technical sessions focusing on sharing of shelter and settlement practices through presentations, group discussions, case studies and open space sessions. The sessions are aimed at encouraging greater collaboration among shelter practitioners and advocate with governments to increase their investments in shelter and settlements.
In his speech at the ASF conference, the President of Caritas Bangladesh, Bishop James Romen Boiragi, urged participants “to be an advocate for affected people and their dignity; to ensure the identification and inclusion of socially excluded and vulnerable groups in our humanitarian actions; and to promote and advocate for local leadership to ensure sustainability and impact at scale”.
Asia Shelter Forum is a regional forum that was initiated in 2015 by shelter support practitioners in Bangkok. It was during that last Annual ASF conference in Nepal in November 2021, that the Government of Nepal handed over the chairmanship to the Department of Disaster Management, Bangladesh to host the Annual Conference of Asia Shelter Forum 2022 in Dhaka.