Joint Declaration of Intent for Australia and Canada's partnership on emergency management and disaster risk reduction and resilience

The National Emergency Management Agency of Australia (NEMA) and the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness of Canada (PS), hereinafter referred to as the 'Participants', recognise the strategic importance of disaster resilience to the safety of the citizens, and economic stability of their respective countries.

The Participants recognise the long-standing partnership of Australia and Canada in disaster assistance and that they have similar challenges in disaster management and have been actively sharing information through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on emergency management and disaster risk reduction between NEMA and PS. In addition, the Participants recognise the long-standing partnership in integrated fire management under the MOU between NEMA and the Department of Natural Resources of Canada, which enabled recent deployments of Canadian firefighters to assist with Victorian fires from January to February 2026, and Australian firefighters to assist with response operations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba from June to July 2025.

Acknowledging the increasing frequency and severity of disasters due to the impacts of climate change, the Participants will continue to cooperate on emergency management and disaster resilience with focus on:

Areas of cooperation

• Continuing cooperation activities under the existing MOU, with a focus on continued information-exchanges on shared policy challenges in disaster risk reduction
• Preparedness through targeted information-exchanges, with an initial focus on national warning systems and crisis communications
• Strengthening respective emergency response mechanisms, through continued sharing of information on emergency management operations and best practices in response and coordination
• Emergency management capability enhancement through sharing of training, exercise, and leadership development resources, as well as exploring an operational staff exchange program
• Strengthening community resilience by collaborating in research and innovation. The Participants intend to bring together world-leading expertise to drive research projects that inform disaster resilience policy and program design, training and development programs, enhanced procurement mechanisms, and advancements in shared technological areas of interest, including artificial intelligence

Implementation and funding

• A bilateral meeting between the senior leadership of NEMA and PS will be held within 6 months of signing this joint declaration of intent (JDI) to establish a work plan under this partnership
• An annual Ministerial meeting will be established with the first to occur within 12 months of the signing of this JDI. These meetings will monitor progress of implementation in the areas of cooperation of this JDI and provide a framework for raising any concerns
• The Participants may invite representatives from emergency management sector, academia, industry, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders to participate in specific initiatives
• The Participants will resolve any difference regarding the interpretation or application of this JDI by consultations
• This JDI is not a legally binding document – it does not create any legally enforceable obligations, nor does it assure any financial commitment by either Participant
• Funding for activities will be subject to the availability of appropriated funds and compliance with the respective domestic laws and regulations

Australia's Minister for Emergency Management and Canada's Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience will lead the work outlined in this JDI, and coordinate policies and investments to support these shared priorities.

Signed in duplicate at Canberra, on March 5th, 2026, in the English and French languages, each version being equally valid.

Signatories

Date modified:

2026-03-04