JAKARTA, INDONESIA – As neighbouring Asia Pacific countries with similar hazard profiles, Fiji stands to learn and gain a lot from Indonesia on how natural and man-made hazards are monitored, mitigated, responded to and recovered from.
This was highlighted by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Hon. Sakiasi Ditoka in his remarks during a welcome dinner last night for the Ministry’s delegation presently on a week-long peer exchange programme in Indonesia.
He said as vulnerable nations, flooding, landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis were some of the shared hazards that Fiji and Indonesia were at risk from.
“I have here with me, in my delegation, the four Divisional Commissioners who are responsible for subnational disaster management, much in the vein of Indonesia’s provincial Disaster Management Agencies.
Our governance structure is similar to Indonesia’s so this tour is exceptionally relevant as the team will look into how Indonesia manages disasters at community, regional and national levels, and that we can adopt and adapt in our own system,” Hon. Ditoka highlighted.
“The team is also interested in how cities and townships in Indonesia manage disaster risks and the manner in which local governments are able to coordinate with communities in urban, rural and peri urban settings to effectively respond to disasters.”
In discussing Fiji’s current initiatives, Minister Ditoka noted that Fiji’s revised Disaster Management Bill is nearing endorsement by Parliament. The revised legislation will focus more on disaster risk reduction and broaden the responsibilities of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to include man-made disasters, in addition to natural hazards.
A new Humanitarian Actor registry will also be introduced, ensuring that all humanitarian actors adhere to minimum standards in service delivery and conduct.
“This is envisaged to enhance the coordination of humanitarian response and ensure that communities are fully benefiting from more effective modes of disaster response and relief.”
Hon. Ditoka also expressed gratitude to the Governments of Australia and Indonesia for extending an invitation to the Government of Fiji under the SIAP SIAGA Trilateral Agreement.
“It is quite timely given that Fiji and Indonesia are celebrating 50 years of bilateral relations this year. Cooperation between Fiji and Indonesia spans a range of fields, including disaster management, trade, education, culture, defense, food security in both agriculture and mari-culture, and environmental sustainability.
The Government of Fiji hopes to have continued warm and cordial relations with the Government of Indonesia into the long-term future,” he added.
The delegation was hosted to a welcome dinner by the Expert Staff to the Minister on Politics, Law and Security, H.E. Adam Mulawarman, and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, H.E. Ms. Penny Williams in Jakarta last night.
As part of yesterday’s programme, the team also met with the former Executive Director of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Centre, Mr. Said Faisal.
The session was aimed at sharing experiences and discussions about the initial establishment of the AHA Centre, focusing on the challenges and opportunities faced during the initiation of the Centre.
Similar to the AHA Centre’s mission, the Ministry, through the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) aims to strengthen disaster resilience and coordination across Fijian communities, emphasising the importance of collaboration, shared resources, and unified efforts in mitigating disaster impacts in their respective communities.
The delegation also participated in a cultural activity yesterday where they toured the Jakarta History Museum and the Fine Art and Ceramic Museum. The exercise introduced the delegates to the culture and history of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the delegation led by Hon. Ditoka is on a week-long exchange programme as part of the Trilateral Cooperation Program between the Government of Indonesia – Australia – Fiji.
Organised by the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Disaster Risk Management (SIAP SIAGA), on behalf of the Australian Embassy Jakarta, the visit to Indonesia aims to facilitate the sharing and exchanging knowledge as well as experiences on specific topics including the establishment of ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Disaster Management System in Indonesia.
