The seventh session of the Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management was held in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 7 December 2022. The Governing Council addressed the programmatic and technical activities and the administrative and financial issues of the Centre.

The Governing Council took note of the report on the activities of the Centre since the sixth session and expressed its appreciation for the progress made in the implementation of the programme of work of the Centre. It noted that, owing to insufficient financial resources, only some activities included in the Centre’s programme of work for 2021–2022 could be implemented and endorsed the Centre’s programme of work for 2023.

The Governing Council took note of the report on the administrative and financial status of the Centre. It expressed its appreciation to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the generous financial and in-kind voluntary contributions made to date for the establishment and operation of the Centre.

The Governing Council expressed its thanks and appreciation to Cambodia, as well as to Macao, China, for their valuable financial contributions to the Centre. It took note of the financial status of the Centre and appreciated the verbal pledge made by the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding an upcoming disbursement of funds to the Centre in the amount of $1.3 million and expressed the hope that all pending contributions would be disbursed as soon as possible.

The Governing Council encouraged the Government of the host country, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to continue providing its valuable support to the Centre. It also encouraged the members and associate members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to mobilize financial and/or in-kind support for the Centre and to take an active role in the delivery of the Centre’s programme of work.

The Governing Council elected the representative of Türkiye as the Chair and the representative of Tajikistan as the Vice-Chair for the seventh session to serve until the eighth session of the Governing Council.