Govt and private partnership needed in disaster preparedness

Govt and private partnership needed in disaster preparedness Budi Atmadi Adiputro   ;    Secretary-General of Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross) in Jakarta

JAKARTA POST,  25 Januari 2014

                                                                                                                        

                                                                                         

                                                      

The Asia-Pacific region suffered up to 70 percent of global natural disasters while two thirds of the victims were from Asia. This figure was presented during the Asia-Europe Meeting on disaster prevention and relief last November by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. This shows that Asia-Pacific is the region most exposed to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hydro-meteorological disasters. Only last November Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines. According to the United Nations, Indonesia experienced 67 major earthquakes in the first quarter of 2011. Volcanic eruptions, flooding, landslides and tsunamis are persistent threats, leading the government to make disaster resilience and management a national priority.  Major disasters triggered by natural hazards impact the lives of millions of people both in developed and developing countries. The economic and insured losses from these events are rapidly rising in line with the frequency and severity of major natural catastrophes.  The latest 2013 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction found that the transformation of the global economy over the last 40 years has led to a growing accumulation of disaster risk. Annually, economic losses already amounted to hundreds of billions of dollars, which is projected to double by 2030.  Therefore, the ability of countries to manage the escalating impact of disasters will have important implications for growth and development in the region.  Investing in disaster preparedness, particularly in the national capacity for effective response, would not only save lives and livelihoods but could also reduce the financial burden of response and relief efforts. This can, in turn, speed up recovery and help maintain a country’s long-term development.  Under presidential decrees issued in 1950 and 1963, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) plays two crucial roles in disaster management. The first is to save more lives of those affected by a disaster by assisting the victims.  When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, the PMI provided the largest humanitarian support in Indonesian history through a total of Rp50 billion (US$4.1 million). Second, PMI aims to facilitate and promote capacity building by creating a resilient population that is well prepared for disasters as well as small scale mitigation efforts, as part of disaster risk and impact reduction before a disaster strikes.  Collaboration between the private sector, government and NGOs will serve as the backbone to efforts to build resilience. This includes partnerships across all levels of government, the non-government sector, businesses and individuals.  The private sector has a crucial role to play in preventing and reducing disaster risk and increasing community resilience against potential impacts from disasters.  The private sector can provide resources, expertise and essential services. Critical infrastructure on which a society depends is often owned by the private sector.  During the launch of the Business and Disaster Preparedness White Paper by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Asia and commissioned by the Prudence Foundation (of Prudential Corporation Asia insurance group), in November in Jakarta, CSR Asia chairman Richard Welford mentioned several challenges of disaster preparedness. These were mainly that the frequency and severity of natural disasters are intensifying due to climate change, while low-and middle-income countries have suffered an estimated one third of the $3.5 trillion in losses from natural disasters between 1980 and 2011 globally. Not to mention that the most vulnerable to disasters are the poor and marginalized communities.   Businesses should actively participate in disaster preparedness. A natural disaster can have a devastating impact on local communities and cause widespread business disruptions and asset damage. These disruptions can go beyond the immediately affected areas and ripple through global supply chains. Companies may find their employees, customers or manufacturing bases affected.  Not only protecting the business, helping initiate community disaster preparedness can build positive reputations and demonstrate good corporate citizenship.  Furthermore, companies can use the urgency and desire to help during disasters through, for example, corporate volunteer programs. People want to work for businesses that they can trust and respect, and many of those representing today’s Generation Y are looking for more than career opportunities and income.  New business opportunities might also be an incentive for businesses to engage in disaster preparedness. The business sector may have the strategic opportunity to innovate and field-test new products or leverage the use of established technologies and services.  Businesses with locally established networks and knowledge in the Asia-Pacific region have the privilege to play a more strategic role in disaster preparedness. Some may want to invest in long-term relationships with local communities and build their capacity for disaster preparedness.  The White Paper’s recommendations for strategic engagement include: making community-based disaster preparedness an important pillar of your business investment program; helping enhance the capacity and capabilities of local government and non-governmental organizations; becoming more risk-aware in business investments; helping to promote the need for disaster preparedness and advocating for better enforcement of disaster risk-related policies and practices. A well-protected and more resilient public makes good business sense and creates a positive environment for the private sector. We need to change the paradigm from responsive fatalistic to preventive proactive attitudes for reliable public safety and resilience.  As a leader in Disaster Risk Reduction and preparedness, Indonesia would benefit from developing a workable model for a public-private partnership framework that is satisfactory to both the state and the private sector in working together in disaster management. ●