Indonesia: Gender and our disaster management - opinion

Community-based disaster management has yet to become a popular notion in Indonesia, says Verdinand Robertua, a lecturer in international relations at the Christian University of Indonesia (UKI) and researcher in UKI’s Centre for Security and Foreign Affairs (CESFAS). In his opinion piece for the Jakarta Post, he calls upon the Indonesian National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, BNPB, to include tangible activities regarding women and children.

Robertua highlights the research of flood-affected areas and conducted interviews with village leaders in Kampung Pulo and Cawang, East Jakarta. that UKI has performed, provides examples of micro-financing for disaster risk reduction, and asserts that the government must realize that local communities are the first to be affected by disasters. Enhancing the capacity of local communities will accelerate the creation of communities that are sustainable and well-prepared for disasters.