International cooperation on natural disaster prevention and emergency management in the Belt and Road Initiative

[Global Vision]

　　 　There are many countries related to the "Belt and Road" construction, covering a vast area. Correspondingly, there are many types of natural disasters with high frequency, which causes great harm. International cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management has therefore become an important part of the "Belt and Road" cooperation. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the "Belt and Road Initiative", reviewing and discussing how to promote the development of international cooperation in dealing with natural disasters in stages will certainly help to further enhance the functions of the "Belt and Road" international public goods and international cooperation platform.

　　Help each other in the same boat and strengthen cooperation

　　On the premise of respecting the differences and development stages of different countries, the "Belt and Road Initiative" actively provides diversified public goods to the international community and is committed to building an inclusive and equal platform for international cooperation. On the basis of adhering to the principle of mutual consultation, joint construction and sharing, the member countries of the Belt and Road Initiative have joined hands to meet all kinds of challenges, expand and develop new space, and actively build a new type of international relations and a community of human destiny. International cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management is an important part of the "Belt and Road" construction, a vivid portrayal of the implementation of the "Belt and Road" initiative, and a proper move to realize China’s participation in global open cooperation, improve the global disaster management system, and promote global common development and prosperity.

　 Governments of countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative actively carry out high-level dialogues and consultations, actively formulate strategic plans for natural disaster response, and build cooperation mechanisms for natural disaster response. At present, the "One Belt, One Road" international cooperation mechanism for natural disaster prevention and emergency management advocated by China is one of the main mechanisms for the "One Belt, One Road" international cooperation in natural disaster response. The mechanism has adopted the Beijing Declaration on International Cooperation in Natural Disaster Prevention and Emergency Management along the Belt and Road, actively docked with international institutions and organizations such as the United Nations, participated in the World Conference on Disaster Reduction organized by the United Nations, and responded to international initiatives such as the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for 2015-2030. At the same time, China deepened its strategic cooperation with ASEAN and hosted the China — ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management to Promote the Establishment of ASEAN — China-Japan-ROK disaster management cooperation mechanism, China — The Central and Eastern Europe Emergency Management Cooperation Mechanism and the China-EU High-level Dialogue Mechanism on Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management respectively issued joint statements with Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries on strengthening cooperation in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief.

　　The common ways of cooperation in dealing with natural disasters in countries related to the "Belt and Road" include international rescue, scientific research cooperation and resource sharing. In 2023, 50 countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative, including China, Pakistan, Russian Federation and the Philippines, sent over 2,300 rescuers to carry out international rescue for the Turkish earthquake, and rescued over 60 survivors. At present, the Belt and Road International Alliance of Scientific Organizations (ANSO) has deployed more than 100 scientific and educational cooperation projects in relevant countries and regions. In 2017, China Academy of Sciences launched the research project "Natural Disaster Risk Assessment and Mitigation Countermeasures in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" to promote disaster prevention and mitigation in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In 2019, China Academy of Sciences and Pakistan Higher Education Commission jointly established the China-Pakistan Earth Science Research Center. In 2021, at the request of the Geographic Information and Space Technology Development Bureau of Thailand, the National Remote Sensing Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China launched the GEO disaster data emergency response mechanism in China to provide disaster data and information for severe floods in Thailand.

　　Development achievements and main challenges

　　In order to expand the scope and depth of "One Belt, One Road" international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management, and enhance the motivation and level of "One Belt, One Road" international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management, China has signed a number of international cooperation documents on emergency management in the field of natural disasters with many countries and international organizations, and achieved international cooperation in emergency management at the strategic level through signing agreements and issuing joint statements. In recent years, China and ASEAN have approved the China-ASEAN Disaster Management Work Plan (2021-2025) in order to jointly plan the future disaster management cooperation between China and ASEAN, and established the China-ASEAN ministerial conference mechanism on disaster management to jointly improve the prevention and control capabilities of natural disasters and make positive contributions to building a community of Asian and human destiny; The disaster management departments of six countries (namely, China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) issued a joint statement on deepening disaster management cooperation under the cooperation framework of Lancang-Mekong River, exploring the establishment of a cooperation mechanism for disaster management in Lancang-Mekong River, deepening cooperation in the fields of risk assessment, early warning and monitoring, prevention and mitigation, disaster preparedness and response, and resilience recovery, and promoting China — ASEAN disaster management cooperation has achieved more results and helped countries implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030; China and Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries have continuously deepened cooperation in the field of emergency management under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.Work together to improve the level of emergency management in the fields of disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, safe and green production and emergency rescue.

　　In recent years, in order to improve the ability of countries and regions related to the Belt and Road Initiative to prevent and resolve natural disasters, China has carried out project cooperation with many countries and assisted in the construction of high-tech early warning systems, effectively improving the accuracy of natural disaster monitoring and early warning in countries and regions along the route. In 2016, the Seismological Bureau of Guangdong, China Province took the lead in implementing the "One Belt, One Road" seismic monitoring network project in Southeast Asia, and assisted the seismic network centers in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia, effectively improving the seismic monitoring capacity in Southeast Asia and promoting the cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in earthquake prevention and disaster reduction; China cooperated with Mozambique in telecom operators’ projects and provided Fengyun meteorological satellite products to the country. With the satellite data of high-frequency observation, the monitoring and early warning efficiency of natural disasters in Mozambique was improved. In order to break the barrier of meteorological data, China has provided Fengyun meteorological satellite to 121 countries and regions, so as to open the data to domestic and foreign users free of charge in real time, which has provided strong technical support for global meteorological forecasting and natural disaster response.

　　Under the framework of "One Belt, One Road" international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management, China actively organized and participated in joint disaster relief exercises and international humanitarian rescue operations. China has successively undertaken and participated in the joint disaster relief exercises of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the ASEAN Regional Forum, etc. Through the simulation of natural disaster emergency rescue scenes with complete elements and high fidelity, the ability and level of joint command, close cooperation, high coordination and efficient rescue in multinational cooperation have been exercised, demonstrated, evaluated and improved. China’s international rescue teams have rushed to Algeria, Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Turkey and other countries for on-the-spot rescue of natural disasters, which is not only a vivid manifestation of international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management among countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative, but also a powerful manifestation of practicing the humanitarian spirit and the concept of a community of human destiny.

　　At the same time, we must see that the "Belt and Road" international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management still faces many practical challenges. Especially in the international situation of accelerated evolution in the past century, the intensified political game among big countries has made the international cooperation environment complex and changeable. The problem of pan-politicization and pan-security of political groups led by the United States is serious. Military actions and sanctions taken in the name of threatening geopolitical security objectively hinder the cooperation of natural disasters in countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative. Before the earthquake in February this year, 90% of the population in northwest Syria needed humanitarian assistance. The long-term sanctions imposed by the United States not only seriously weakened Syria’s ability to provide disaster relief, but also hindered the entry of rescue teams and materials from other countries, making it impossible to get international assistance in time.

　　It has become a top priority to build an international legal system to deal with natural disasters. At present, most of the documents on international cooperation in dealing with natural disasters in countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative are declarations, statements and memorandums of understanding that are not legally binding in the sense of international law. There are few actual legally binding documents such as the ASEAN Disaster Management and Emergency Response Agreement, which regulates natural disaster emergency cooperation, which affects the division of rights and obligations of countries, the design of action procedures and the legal basis and effectiveness of conflict resolution to some extent. The "One Belt, One Road" research on the judicial demand and judicial policy of natural disaster response cooperation is insufficient as a whole, and there is still a lack of corresponding judicial interpretation and case guidance in domestic law systems of various countries, and there is also a clear shortage of internationally recognized enforcement cases. Different countries have different legal systems and different trial modes, so it is difficult to deal with the judicial problems that may arise from cross-border natural disaster emergency management cooperation, such as the failure of States parties to fulfill their assistance obligations and the illegal mobilization of rescue forces between countries. Therefore, it is urgent to build a specialized judicial institution and judicial procedure for international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management in the "Belt and Road" and properly handle it according to the rules and regulations within the framework of international law.

　　Further solidly promote international cooperation.

　　It is the general trend of international cooperation to strengthen the infrastructure construction, mechanism construction, rule of law construction, trust construction and talent construction of the "Belt and Road" natural disaster prevention and emergency management.

　　Strengthen infrastructure construction. First, promote basic cooperation in emergency response. Countries should give full play to their different advantages in infrastructure and technical equipment, provide public goods and services for disaster prevention, mitigation and relief to relevant countries, drive relevant countries to build supporting infrastructure for disaster prevention and mitigation by investing in major projects, and advocate relevant countries to build resilient cities to enhance their disaster-bearing capacity and resilience. Second, to promote cooperation in emergency industries, we can jointly build international demonstration bases and international gathering areas for emergency industries, build regional innovation centers and achievement transformation centers for emergency industries, speed up the formulation, improvement and convergence of international standards for emergency industries, and promote cooperation in emergency industries in relevant countries through international exchanges, cooperative research and development of emergency products, and international investment and financing for emergency industries. Third, promote emergency science and education cooperation, which can actively promote the exchange of emergency culture among relevant countries, promote the research on the relationship between culture and prevention of natural disasters, and advocate the popularization of scientific emergency concepts on the basis of respecting multiculturalism; We will promote the establishment of an international platform for scientific and technological cooperation in geological and climate observation in the Belt and Road Initiative, promote key countries to carry out surveys on basic data of pregnant disaster environment and disasters to comprehensively assess disaster risks, and assist them to discuss and formulate disaster prevention and preparedness strategies according to the results of disaster risk judgment.

　　Strengthen the mechanism construction. First, formulate specific supporting policies as soon as possible, which can further promote the "Belt and Road" international cooperation mechanism for natural disaster prevention and emergency management, improve the articles of association of the cooperation mechanism, and implement the substantive operational framework; Promote countries to formulate operational guidelines and action plans based on the Beijing Declaration on International Cooperation in Natural Disaster Prevention and Emergency Management of the Belt and Road, and improve and refine the specific cooperation methods and contents in disaster prevention, disaster response and post-disaster reconstruction. Second, make full use of the mechanism to coordinate international cooperation. We can improve and make full use of the articles of association, operational framework and coordinator meeting system of the "Belt and Road" international cooperation mechanism for natural disaster prevention and emergency management as soon as possible, form cooperative and complementary relations with other existing cooperation mechanisms, and build a general platform for international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management. Strengthen the docking of emergency management strategies, plans and mechanisms of relevant countries, promote mutual recognition of standards and rules, coordinate joint action of major natural disaster reduction and relief, cross-border disaster information sharing and international rescue, coordinate the cooperation of governments, enterprises, social organizations and civil emergency forces along the route, and promote the establishment of the "Belt and Road" natural disaster emergency fund by international financial institutions such as the AIIB.

　　Strengthen the construction of the rule of law. First, promote the establishment of the "One Belt, One Road" international emergency cooperation rule of law platform, which can promote relevant countries to jointly establish the "One Belt, One Road" international emergency cooperation rule of law coordination dialogue mechanism and platform, actively lead the discussion and formulation of relevant legal rules, seek the greatest common denominator among different legal systems and legal rules, jointly improve the procedures for international assistance for natural disasters, emergency forces and fund mobilization, and speed up the introduction of the "One Belt, One Road" natural disaster emergency cooperation with international legal effect. The second is to promote the establishment of the "Belt and Road" international emergency court, deeply study the legal requirements and judicial standards in the "Belt and Road" natural disaster emergency cooperation, analyze and judge the commonalities and universality of relevant judicial practices, speed up the formulation of judicial procedures for emergency cooperation that are generally recognized, accepted and observed by all countries, pay attention to the application and promotion of international dispute mediation and adjudication, civil and commercial dispute arbitration and other common dispute resolution mechanisms, promote the resolution of contradictions and disputes in emergency cooperation, and provide better legal services and judicial guarantees.

　　Strengthen trust building. First, strengthen international dialogue and communication. It is urgent for all countries to advocate a new concept of security, strengthen official dialogue and communication, promote the negotiation and signing of cooperation documents, enhance political mutual trust, and reduce the negative impact of geopolitical risks on natural disaster response cooperation. We can make full use of the platform of co-chairs of the APEC Disaster Preparedness Working Group, actively participate in international conferences such as the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Reduction, the meeting of leaders of emergency relief departments of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries, and the China-Japan-ROK Ministerial Conference on Disaster Management, and further promote the international cooperation mechanism of the Belt and Road Initiative on natural disaster prevention and emergency management with the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction, the International Civil Defence Organization, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS countries, the ASEAN-China-Japan-ROK disaster management cooperation mechanism, and the China-EU high-level dialogue mechanism on disaster reduction and The second is to enhance people-to-people exchanges and mutual trust, actively explore various levels and rich forms of international media presentations, and enhance people’s trust in the reciprocal norms of the international cooperation mechanism for natural disaster prevention and emergency management in the Belt and Road Initiative; Actively build a platform for non-governmental exchanges, cultivate non-governmental diplomatic organizations, and attract more non-governmental subjects to participate in the "Belt and Road" natural disaster response cooperation.

　　Strengthen the construction of talents. First, promote international cooperation in personnel training. We can build a "One Belt, One Road" university alliance for natural disaster response personnel training in conjunction with relevant countries, strengthen the construction of emergency disciplines and joint technical research, promote international students, exchange students and joint schools in disaster prevention and mitigation, and build various emergency personnel training bases and exchange platforms such as transnational (border) rescue capabilities. The second is to promote international cooperation in the use of talents. We can build a "One Belt, One Road" natural disaster response talent database in conjunction with relevant countries, maintain dynamic updating and structural optimization of talent data, grasp the overall talent demand and gap in regional natural disaster response, promote the opening of employment channels for international or regional organizations, and promote the interoperability and accurate allocation of emergency talent information resources in various countries. The third is to promote international cooperation in talent development. It is possible to establish an international professional honor system of "One Belt, One Road" natural disaster response talents in conjunction with relevant countries, enhance the level of awards, manifest official recognition and form an international atmosphere; Create an international talent highland and talent distribution center for cooperation in natural disaster prevention and emergency management, and optimize the growth level and ecological circle of emergency talent development in an all-round way.

　　(Author: Ma Haiyun, Professor of School of Emergency Management, Nanjing University of Technology)