On August 31, A-PAD Indonesia hosted an Emergency Response Symposium in Jakarta. Sixty participants, including those online, joined the symposium.

A representative from the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) opened the symposium and discussed the disaster outlook in 2022 and the importance of emergency response. In Indonesia, 1,945 natural disasters were recorded from this past January to August, resulting in 104 people dead and forcing 2.5 million people out of their homes. “Speedy and efficient assistance is critical in emergencies in order to minimize the death toll and level of damage.”

A-PAD’s board member and project coordinator, Faisal Djalal (pictured above), then discussed the lessons learned from the 2018 Lombok earthquake: the importance of community-led risk reduction activities, early warning systems, advancing private sector engagement, development of business continuity plans for small to medium-sized businesses, and disaster risk mapping.  

Indonesia’s automobile conglomerate, Astra, introduced how they mobilize volunteers in each hub and logistics company, Kamadjaja Logistics, discussed the value of securing supply chains in emergencies. 

This three-year project is funded by Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) and this symposium marked the end of the first year. A-PAD hopes to further the efforts in year two and contribute to strengthening disaster resilience in Indonesia.