Case Studies

Home to some of the world’s most rapidly growing economies, the Indo Pacific region also experiences more disasters than anywhere else. From the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 in the Philippines, to the multiple disasters that beset Indonesia in 2018 and Typhoon Rai, which struck the Philippines in December 2021, the region is no stranger to natural disasters and the recovery work that’s needed in their wake. 

With the effects of climate change ever-multiplying, we know that the quantity and impact of these disasters will only increase. Governments and countries need policies, strategies, and infrastructure in place to prepare and respond effectively.  

Launched in 2019, the five-year Australian-Indonesian Partnership in Disaster Risk Management, known as SIAP SIAGA (which means “be ready” in Indonesian) was established to work with the Government of Indonesia to strengthen disaster management in the country, and engagement between Australia and Indonesia on disaster management across the region. 

So, what does SIAP SIAGA’s support look like in practice? In the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province of Indonesia, the project’s work involved aligning siloed efforts and building out community resilience, particularly at the village level, to support disaster-readiness.  

After a deadly earthquake in 2018 that killed over 300 people, Indonesian stakeholders, and particularly those in the NTB province (the epicentre of the shock) needed stronger disaster mitigation strategies to protect their communities and people. 

Since working in the region from May 2021, SIAP SIAGA has helped the NTB provincial government develop policies and regulations for disaster preparedness, with a focus on village resilience. This aligns with the province’s Development Plan, which aimed to establish 434 Disaster Resilient Villages (known locally as Destana) by the end of 2023.  

Other government and non-governmental stakeholders are already implementing programs similar to Destana. These include Disaster Prepared Villages coordinated by the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Climate Village Program delivered by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and the Community-based Disaster Ready Team run by the Indonesian Red Cross, to name a few. Each program has typically operated independently, without collaboration or coordination.

This is where SIAP SIAGA stepped in.  

Working closely with the NTB provincial government, SIAP SIAGA introduced a systems-based approach to aligning these siloed efforts. Partnering with the Provincial Development Planning Agency, SIAP SIAGA developed disaster risk reduction-based planning documents that act as a foundation to ensure the sustainability of implemented programs. To emphasize the collective approach needed to address disasters, the project worked with Provincial Government Organisations – such as the Health Office and Housing and Residential Department – to support the application of a Minimum Service Standard on Disaster Management (MSS-DM).  

The MSS-DM outlines the minimum type and quality of disaster management basic services that all government agencies must provide. These include information and resources around prevention and preparedness as well as rescue and evacuation.  

To align efforts, SIAP SIAGA helped pass a government guideline on Implementing Disaster Resilient Villages, that act as a collective reference to map, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of Destana, so that efforts are coordinated and effective.   

Through support like this, SIAP SIAGA and its partners are creating a sustainable foundation on which Indonesia, and other countries in the region, will build resilience for the future.