Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered a pre-recorded keynote speech at the Opening Session of the Senior Executive Programme in Disaster Management (SEPDM) 2025, held in Singapore. In his speech, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn underscored the importance of enhancing ASEAN’s collective capacity to comprehend disaster risks in a comprehensive and multidimensional manner. In leveraging the use of research, technology, and innovation and adapting to emerging trends, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn recommended ASEAN to forge stronger partnerships with research institutions, think tanks, and academia, and closer engagement with the private sector, particularly technology companies, to harness innovative solutions for disaster risk reduction. The SEPDM is an annual flagship capacity building programme of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) hosted by Singapore since 2015 and co-organised by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre). The SEPDM 2025, comprising of three anchor themes, namely: Disaster and Crisis Leadership; Research, Technology and Innovation for Disaster Management; and Current and Future Trends in Disaster Management, is attended by senior leaders of the ASEAN National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMOs), the ASEAN Secretariat and the AHA Centre, and some external partners.