On 21 August 2020, the APTERR Secretariat team led by Mr. Chanpithya Shimphalee, General Manager, took a field study to visit the Satellite Warehouse under Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) in Chainat province of Thailand. The field study aimed at providing the APTERR Staff members with new knowledge and experiences which will be applicable for the operations of APTERR as well as seeking cooperation with agencies concerned in coping with food insecurity situations.
The APTERR Secretariat team was warmly welcomed by the officials from DELSA and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of Interior of Thailand. During the field study, the team was lectured and explained about DELSA mechanism and the utilisation of the satellite warehouse during the emergency occurrences. The team also had an opportunity to visit the satellite warehouse which the emergency relief equipment is presently stored. This visit provided a concrete understanding of leveraging on the satellite warehouse as well as storage management system.
DELSA is a key mechanism to provide swift assistance of relief items to ASEAN countries facing a catastrophic emergency. The mechanism was established in 2012 to develop a regional relief item stockpile together with supporting the capacity enhancement of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and among ASEAN countries in emergency logistic operations.