Address by Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator for UN System in Indonesia, Mr. Bo Asplund
on the Occasion of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
- Good morning and welcome to today's event.
First, I would like to congratulate the Government on launching the National Strategy for Poverty Reduction, the SNPK, as well as for the signing of the National Poverty and Fuel Crisis Mitigation Movement Declaration.
As Minister Shihab remarked, it is notable that these events are taking place on the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. It serves to highlight the important relationship between the prevention of natural disasters, the reduction of poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Indonesia.
Natural disasters can have a sudden and dramatic impact on poverty and the development prospects of local communities. But the links between natural disasters and development are multi-dimensional. Disasters undermine efforts to reduce poverty. But at the same time, communities that are affected by poverty are also more vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters.
Hence, while natural disaster reduction must be considered a pre-condition for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the reduction of poverty must also be considered an essential element in reducing vulnerability to the effects of natural disasters.
In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to observe the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction on the second Wednesday of October. The event is seen as a vehicle to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, in order to shift the focus of national governments and international actors from responding to disasters towards preventive measures that prepare communities and mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.
The theme of the International Day for Disaster Reduction for 2005 is on increasing disaster resilience through using micro-finance and safety nets. This is an important focus and again highlights the role that micro-finance and micro-credit can play in reducing poverty, and hence in reducing vulnerability to the effects of natural disasters.
Both the Government of Indonesia and communities across the country have taken notable and important steps in promoting a culture of disaster reduction.
In particular, I would like to highlight that the UN Sasakawa Certificate of Merit for 2005 was awarded to the Simeulue community in Aceh for their diverse activities to build community awareness and preparedness for disaster risks. These efforts of the local Government and communities in Simeulue led to saving thousands of lives during the Indian Ocean tsunami. Of the 83,000 persons in Simeulue, only 7 inhabitants lost their lives to the tsunami.
This example also serves to demonstrate the importance of a community-level focus in efforts to both alleviate poverty and reduce the risk of natural disasters. The Simeulue example provides Indonesia with an excellent example of the success of community-based disaster preparedness, and can be used as a model for application in other areas of the country.
The United Nations Country Team in Indonesia has sought to fully support the Government and people of Indonesia to respond to natural disasters and to strengthen efforts to reduce disaster risks. The family of UN agencies responded to the humanitarian emergency following the tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra, and we are now actively engaged in supporting the reconstruction process. In addition to this important work, UN agencies have supported efforts of the government, civil society and local communities to build longer-term capacities for disaster prevention and reduction.
This support is being provided at national, regional and local levels. For instance, at the national level, UNESCO is supporting coordination of the development of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System. UNDP is also supporting the Government to develop the Master Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction Program in Indonesia, as well as providing technical assistance to draft disaster management legislation.
At the provincial and district levels, agencies such as UNICEF, WHO, OCHA and UNDP have a history of providing support to local government in emergency preparedness and response training. The UN, through the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), has also sponsored National and Regional Tsunami Lessons Learnt Workshops in May and June 2005.
Initiatives are also being supported at the community level. UNESCO is supporting the publishing and use of a Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Kit, which will be of enormous value in assisting local communities to support their own longer-term sustainable development through preparing for the variety of natural hazards they may be subject to. UNDP is also developing a community based disaster risk reduction program in selected areas of the country to address different kinds of hazards.
In conclusion, allow me again to express my congratulations to the Government for the important efforts that are being marked by today's event, as well my gratitude to Menko Kesra for working so hard to ensure the success of this event. I would also like to thank other participants from Government, civil society, the private sector and the international community for our collective efforts to promote the prosperity of communities across Indonesia. Thank you.
Indonesia