Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 The Ministry of Religious Affairs is accelerating\nplans to establish a Disaster Response Coordination Team as a proactive\nand structured measure to address the risk of, and respond to, natural\ndisasters across Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The special team is intended to enable the ministry to work\nsystematically and in an integrated manner with the National Disaster\nMitigation Agency (BNPB) and the National Search and Rescue Agency\n(Basarnas), both at national and regional levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have already been in communication with BNPB and Basarnas. It\nturns out they have been involving our regional work units as part of\ntheir disaster mitigation efforts,\u201d Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs\nRomo Muhammad Syafi\u2019i said in Jakarta on Monday.<\/p>\n
Syafi\u2019i said the team was being established in response to\nIndonesia\u2019s high exposure to natural disasters, including the threat of\nmegathrust earthquakes, flash floods and forest fires.<\/p>\n
The ministry\u2019s regional resources\u2014including work units, religious\ncounsellors, madrasahs, Islamic boarding schools and places of\nworship\u2014have often contributed to disaster response. However, their\ninvolvement has not yet been coordinated through an integrated framework\nwithin the ministry.<\/p>\n
Syafi\u2019i stressed the importance of clear communication and\ncoordination arrangements from the central government down to the\nregency and city levels to ensure disaster response is effective and\nmeasurable.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Religious Affairs\u2019 General Affairs Bureau and Legal\nBureau are drafting regulations for the disaster response and\npost-disaster reconstruction team.<\/p>\n
The ministry\u2019s Disaster Response Coordination Team will focus on five\nmain operational and coordination functions.<\/p>\n
First, it will coordinate emergency response, including the provision\nof aid and initial action when a disaster occurs.<\/p>\n
Second, it will conduct rapid and accurate assessments of affected\nareas and infrastructure, including religious facilities such as\nmosques, churches and other places of worship, as well as religious\neducational institutions such as madrasahs and Islamic boarding\nschools.<\/p>\n
Third, it will manage, collect and distribute assistance\ntransparently through the ministry\u2019s official emergency-response\naccount.<\/p>\n
Fourth, it will foster coordination among internal units and regional\noffices, working with echelon-one units, state Islamic higher education\ninstitutions (PTKN), the ministry\u2019s regional offices and relevant\nexternal agencies.<\/p>\n
Finally, it will provide ministry leaders with regular, integrated\nreports on the progress of assistance efforts.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-affairs-ministry-accelerates-plans-to-form-disaster-response-coordination-team-1791795260", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }