Indonesia emphasises resilient villages as key to disaster preparedness
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has once again emphasised the importance of resilient villages and local communities in building resistance to climate change and disasters during the 48th ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) meeting.
According to Raditya Jati, Deputy for Systems and Strategy at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), this step is an effort to translate the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 into concrete actions that provide direct benefits to the public. “Indonesia believes that resilient local communities are the foundation of a resilient ASEAN region,” said Raditya during the “ASEAN Village to the World” discussion, held alongside the 48th ACDM meeting in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday.
In a written statement received in Jakarta on Friday, the discussion addressed the follow-up to Indonesia’s initiatives during its 2023 ASEAN chairmanship, which positioned villages and local communities as the frontline in disaster management and climate change mitigation. The discussion highlighted village resilience in building regional stability against climate threats and the importance of mainstreaming sustainable resilience concepts across various ASEAN cooperation sectors.
Raditya proposed three steps to achieve ASEAN village resilience: establishing villages as primary initiators, implementing village-based development cycles, and ensuring multi-stakeholder support. Meanwhile, Dr. Sc. Yoga Andriana Sendjaja, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Geological Engineering at Padjadjaran University, noted that preserving local wisdom to form sustainable village resilience could be further supported by the roles of universities and the younger generation.
During the forum, Indonesia proposed further discussions on the implementation of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Sustainable Resilience, adopted in 2030. The forum also agreed on policy recommendations and a strategic partnership roadmap to strengthen ASEAN’s position as a resilient, inclusive, and competitive region by bolstering resilience at the village level and addressing broader global challenges. The discussion was organised jointly by the BNPB and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the ASEAN-IDE Resilience initiative.