FORUM-ASIA would like to express its sadness and sympathy for all that have lost their lives, have been injured or affected otherwise by the devastating earthquake and its aftershocks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India yesterday on 26 October 2015.

Much too often our region experiences the devastation that natural disasters can bring about, in the form of earthquakes, typhoons, floods or draughts. In the coming weeks authorities will need to look into what happened, how the earthquake became so destructive and what can be done to reduce the extent of such damages and destruction in the future.

We urge all Asian countries to pull their resources and expertise together to overcome the catastrophic consequences of natural disasters and climate change. We call on our Governments to work together to improve early planning and preparedness, as well as mitigation and relief efforts.

But not today. Today all efforts should be focused on rescuing all those that can still be saved, and on providing relieve to those that need it, particularly in remote areas. Our thoughts are with you.