Malaysia hosts EU-Southeast Asia regional workshop on civil-military cooperation during disaster relief

Putrajaya, 30 September 2025 - An interactive international workshop on Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) in the Indo-Pacific during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) took place in Putrajaya last week. Facilitated by the EU project ESIWA+ (Enhancing the EU's Security Cooperation in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific), the activity was co-organised by the EU Delegation to Malaysia, the Ministry of Defence of Malaysia and supported by the Malaysia Institute of Defence and Security (MiDAS), and the German Federal Ministry of Defence.

The Indo-Pacific region is highly exposed to natural and man-made disasters, making effective civil-military cooperation crucial for successful international disaster relief operations. Against this background, the event highlighted best practices from European Union (EU) and Southeast Asia to strengthen confidence and security building measures,

Experts from Southeast Asia and Europe discussed the role of the military in HADR, strategic risk communications in the context of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), and explored how to enhance confidence and security building measures (CSBM) between civilian and military actors during disaster relief efforts.

"Cooperation and integration between military and civilian actors in CIMIC are crucial for successful and effective cooperation, particularly in complex environments such as disaster response or post conflict zones," said Lieutenant General Dato' Seri Haji Muhammad Huzaimi bin Sabri, Chief Executive of MiDAS.

German Ambassador to Malaysia H.E. Silke Riecken-Daerr said: "Both sides (EU and ASEAN) know that in case of emergency, effective cooperation between affected states and between civilian and military actors is vital for saving lives and supporting recovery. And we have a lot to learn from each other."

Speakers at the event also included representatives of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), the EU Delegation to Malaysia, EU Member States France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden; and ASEAN member countries Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The workshop included simulation exercises on case studies from the Indo-Pacific region.

Alfonso Lozano Basanta, the Operational Logistics Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific at the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), said: "DG ECHO has collaborated with the AHA Centre for many years, and the way forward is to continue learning from each other and enhance cooperation under the administrative arrangement recently signed by the two institutions. This region has a wealth of expertise when it comes to disaster response, from which the EU can learn."

In line with the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the workshop built on previous ESIWA activities in Malaysia in the domains of counterterrorism & preventing violent extremism, cyber security, and the launch of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) handbook.

About the EU's ESIWA+ project:

ESIWA+ (Enhancing the EU's Security Cooperation In and With Asia and the Indo-Pacific) works to enhance cooperation in four thematic areas: counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism, crisis management/addressing hybrid threats, cyber security, and maritime security. ESIWA+ is co-funded by the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), Germany and France. The project is co-implemented by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), and by Expertise France.