Australia-Indonesia disaster reduction facility announced
The Prime Minister of Australia and the President of Indonesia, leaders of the two economies co-chairing the APEC Taskforce on Emergency Preparedness, met today to discuss regional disaster coordination – one of the themes of the current APEC Leaders’ meeting in Peru.
Both expressed their deep concern about the impact of natural disasters in the region. They noted that many parts of the Asia Pacific region are disaster-prone, and that the number and severity of disasters is increasing because of, among other things, climate change and urbanisation.
Australia and Indonesia have examined the existing mechanisms for disaster management in the region and have found that there are shortcomings in areas of coordination and coherence and, critically, insufficient focus on preventing and mitigating disasters. There are also shortcomings in the building of national capacity for nations to self-manage disasters.
We have agreed to establish an Australia-Indonesia Disaster Reduction Facility in Jakarta which will be operational by April 2009.
The Facility will support Indonesia’s and the region’s efforts to reduce the impact of disasters and to improve self-management capabilities through training and outreach; risk and vulnerability assessment; and research and analysis on emerging regional threats.
The total value of this Facility will be A$67 million (approximately US$42 million) over five years.
A focus on disaster reduction saves lives and saves money. Countries that adopt a disaster reduction approach will be better equipped to lead and manage disaster response.
Australia and Indonesia will develop and sustain the Facility’s relationship and collaboration with ASEAN, ASEAN Regional Forum, APEC, SAARC, the United Nations, the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement and regional disaster management mechanisms and programs. It is envisioned to broaden its scope to include cooperation with Pacific partners. The Facility will work closely with the APEC Task Force on Emergency Preparedness to share its experiences, tools and strategies with APEC member economies. The Facility will also encourage greater involvement of the private sector in disaster management - an APEC priority - and look for opportunities to support APEC's efforts to build community and business resilience in the region.