A national Disaster Risk Reduction Seminar was held at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from 14-17 February 2017, as part of the StIRRRD (Strengthened Indonesian Resilience: Reducing Risk from Disasters) program.
This national seminar was held in the Senate Hall of the UGM, and was officially opened by the Head of BNPB, Willem Rampangilei. Other key speakers at the opening ceremony included New Zealand’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Dr. Trevor Matheson; the Director General of Regional Development, Kemendesa, Dr. Suprayoga Hadi; and the Rector of the University of Gadjah Mada, Prof. Dwikorita Karnawati.
A key part of the StIRRRD program is to build relationships and increase cooperation between the various groups who are tasked with reducing risk from disasters – including central and local government agencies, UGM and local universities, as well as the private sector and non-government organisations (NGO’s). The 4-day seminar provided an opportunity, mid-way through the StIRRRD program, for these groups to come together to re-affirm their commitment to reducing risk from disasters, to evaluate the progress made by districts involved in the program, and to determine future work to be undertaken. It was also an opportunity for different groups to provide peer support to each other on the journey towards more resilient and sustainable communities.
The objectives of the risk reduction seminar were:
- Provide an overview of progress made and lessons learnt, as part of the StIRRRD program.
- Confirm the context within which DRR occurs in Indonesia, including the Sendai Framework, and modern risk reduction, disaster preparedness and management practices.
- Review, discuss, and plan for further work to be undertaken as part of the district DRR Action Plans.
- Facilitate peer support and peer learning amongst national agencies, districts, NGO’s and universities.
The Risk Reduction Seminar program included presentations in a number of plenary and technical sessions, as well as a forum for reviewing the district level Action Plans. Opportunities for questions and discussion were provided throughout the seminar. Other components included a field trip and a workshop on the RiskScape loss modelling tool which is aimed at increased risk literacy in Indonesia, particularly in the StIRRRD districts and universities.
Presenters were from Indonesia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, and included local and central government staff, risk reduction experts from GNS Science and Wellington Regional Council, universities, NGO’s and the private sector. Several of the sessions were designed to be interactive, with a mix of presentations and group discussion. A number of separate focus meetings were also held.
The seminar was attended by approximately 200 participants from central government (BNPB, Kemendesa and Bappenas), BPBDs of 50 districts / municipalities and provinces in Indonesia, various related government functional departments (OPB), NGOs and students from Universitas Gadjah Mada. Delegates from local government included staff from disaster management agencies (BPBDs), development and spatial planning department (Bappeda), public works (PU), Heads of Districts and parliamentarians.
Researchers from Andalas University (West Sumatra), University of Bengkulu (Bengkulu), Tadulako (Central Sulawesi) and the University of Mataram (NTB) also attended.
A copy of the programme and the proceedings is available by taking the links below.