Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007

Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
1
UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA
AND THE PACIFIC (ESCAP)
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MEETING ON POLICY ADVOCACY FOR
ENHANCING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO NATURAL DISASTERS
FOCUSING ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
KEY OUTCOMES OF THE MEETING
1. Awareness was raised on issues related to the needs and concerns of orphans
and separated children and youth (OSCY) in Aceh and the ways in which
these needs were being addressed, as voiced by key stakeholders, identified.
2. Policy issues related to enhancing community resilience and social capital in
addressing the impact of natural disasters, particularly on the OSCY and the
roles and contributions of MOSA, line ministries, academia/research
institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), INGOs and UNESCAP, both
in terms of devising policy advocacy strategies and translating the policies into
action were better understood by key players.
3. A set of clear and specific recommendations in terms of policy
changes/formulations, disaster response programme design/modifications,
research, institutional capacity building, coordination and networking were
agreed upon so as to move forward.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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CONTENTS
Page
I. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING …………………………… 3
1. Background
2. Objectives
3. Participants
II. OPENING OF THE WORKSHOP …………………………………. 5
III. PRESENTATIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORKSHOP ………. 7
IV. CLOSING …………………………………………………. 16
ANNEXES
I. List of Participants ……………………………… 20
II. Programme ……………………………………… 21
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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I. ORGANISATION OF THE WORKSHOP
1. Background
The National meeting on “Policy Advocacy for Enhancing Community Resilience to
Natural Disasters Focusing on Children and Youth” took place at the Hotel Acacia in
Jakarta, Indonesia from 21st to 23rd March 2007. It was held as part of the Emerging
Social Issues Division (ESID) component project of the UNESCAP umbrella project
on “Building community resilience to natural disasters through partnership: Sharing
experiences and expertise in the region” in the context of the Orphans and Separated
Children and Youth (OSCY) in Aceh, who became the victims of the Indian ocean
tsunami that struck on 26, December 2004. It was part of a series of activities in
advocating the Government of Indonesia to develop/reformulate policies in order to
enhance community resilience and support for vulnerable children and youth in the
aftermath of the tsunami and other natural disasters in Indonesia. The meeting was
organized by ESID in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare of the
Ministry of Social Affairs, Government of Indonesia and with funding from the
Government of the Republic of Korea.
2. Objectives
• To gain better understanding of the situation regarding OSCY and
communities affected by natural disasters
• To generate recommendations for action to enhance community resilience and
support
• To have an impact on policy making and implementation
3. Participants
There were 80 participants, most of whom were from the Directorates within the
Ministry of Social Affairs (DEPSOS) and the Aceh Provincial Office of Social Affairs
(DINSOS). The rest came from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Public Works,
Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Manpower and
Transmigration, Badan Reintegrasi Damai Aceh (BRA, Aceh Peaceful Reintegration
Agency), INGOs, such as Save the Children and ChildFund Indonesia, local NGOs
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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from Aceh, such as Pusaka Indonesia, Yayasan Pembaharu Aceh and SAMAN, and
two representatives from among the tsunami survivors.
The list of participants is given in Annex I
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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II. OPENING OF THE MEETING
Statements were made by:
(1) Ms. Thelma Kay, Director, Emerging Social Issues Division, UNESCAP
(2) Mr. Makmur Sunusi, Director General of Social Rehabilitation Services, Ministry
of Social Affairs, Indonesia
The meeting began with an introduction by Mr. Suharno, Director of Child Social
Protection, Ministry of Social Affairs to report the attendance of the participants.
Ms. Thelma Kay, Director, Emerging Social Issues Division of UNESCAP, in her
opening address, mentioned the essence of the project that ESCAP is undertaking in
Aceh in partnership with the Government of Indonesia. She stated that the capacity of
the community to care for OSCY in emergency situations may be limited which often
calls for an initial period of external agency support coupled with a long-term
community-mobilisation approach to facilitate the gradual community assumption of
responsibility for OSCY. Right from the earliest stage of an emergency, she added, a
community-based approach that mobilizes resources among the affected population
and creates a sense of community is critical in helping children, youth and their
families recover from the emergency and begin to rebuild their lives. She believed
that it would be very useful to revisit the relevant policies and programmes of the
Government through the debates and discussions of this meeting and to come up with
specific policy recommendations and action plans to further enhance the capacities
and resourcefulness of communities in preparing for and coping with natural disasters
and in responding to the needs of OSCY.
The keynote speech that was delivered by Mr. Makmur Sunusi, Director General of
Social Rehabilitation Services, MOSA, presented some issues related to OSCY that
have not been adequately addressed until recently due to limited resource available,
both in terms of human and financial resources, and a lack of coordination among
stakeholders. He stated, among other things, that the devastating impacts of the
Tsunami had made OSCY vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, because they
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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themselves, their families and communities had been deprived of all life supporting
infrastructures and facilities, such as schools, social environment and recreational
facilities. Worst of all, most OSCY and their families and communities were still
haunted by psychosocial trauma impacted by the tsunami. Mr. Sunusi urged that
networks among stakeholders be established so that coordination and concerted
efforts to overcome problems related to community rebuilding and empowerment in
the tsunami devastated areas in Aceh could be undertaken effectively.
Mr. Marco Roncarati, Social Affairs Officer, Health and Development Section of
Emerging Social Issues Division, UNESCAP gave a brief overview of the ESCAP
project in Indonesia and explained the objectives of this national meeting before the
presentations commenced.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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III. PRESENTATIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORKSHOP
DAY ONE
1. Policies and Stages in developing social resilience anticipating natural
disaster – By Mr. Ferry Johannes, Senior Policy Advisor to the Ministry
of Social Affairs, Government of Indonesia
Mr. Ferry Johannes clarified that, while social resilience refers to survival spirit to
face threats – both internal and external, without waiting for outsiders’ help, social
anti-body referred to building immunity through interaction, mutual trust and shared
values so that people were prepared to recover and could recover quickly. He asserted
that social resilience was the key element in preparing a disaster response and
illustrated through his presentation that the strength of social resilience could be seen
through the presence of five indicators viz. (1) continuous social protection for
vulnerable groups, the poor and other members of community with social problems;
(2) level of participation in local social institutions; (3) the ability to manage social
conflicts and violence; (4) the institutionalization of local wisdoms in preserving
natural and social resources; and (5) the continuous alertness of the community
members to protect one another during natural disaster. He added that to improve
community resilience, especially among children and youth, enhancing community
empowerment was an option that had a significant correlation with the alertness in
anticipating natural disasters that could take place at any time. He also argued that
advocacy could only be successful only if it involved decision-makers, built the
capacity of the programme managers, built partnerships amongst stakeholders,
enlisted support from mass media, and mobilized social groups as positive groups. He
admitted that children and youth were the worst victims of any disaster and said that
30 per cent of IDPs in Indonesia were children and youth. He concluded by saying
that enhancing social resilience was the right step in social preparation to meet
disasters in future.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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2. Overview of on-going efforts in Aceh: findings and recommendations on
enhancing community support – By Mr. Rusydi Syahra, UNESCAP
Consultant based in Indonesia
Mr. Rusydi Syahra, a UNESCAP consultant who had made a rapid assessment on the
extent to which psycho-social and livelihood supports were provided for OSCY, their
families and communities, began his presentation by describing different foci of
assistance provided by helping organizations following the phases of emergency,
rehabilitation, and reconstruction. During the emergency phase, psychosocial support
for children and adults was one of main preoccupations of assistance. Health care and
minimal livelihood support provisions were also been focused to help the survivors
regain good and stable physical conditions. In the rehabilitation phase the main focus
of assistance gradually shifted from providing psychosocial and basic livelihood
support to transferring the responsibility for child protection to parents and relatives
with OSCY and their communities in general. Also during this phase limited cash
assistance was offered to hundreds of parents and relatives with OSCY to help the
children buy all necessities to start schooling. The third phase, reconstruction phase,
that started one year following the rehabilitation phase, was considered as the most
critical phase for both the helping organizations and the communities. This was the
period in which most NGOs began transferring all matters related to child protection
to their families and communities. The communities were expected to be able run
child centres that would be left by the NGOs to give the most benefits for the children
and youth. Further, based on his quick assessment on the previous training workshop
conducted by ESCAP and DEPSOS in November 2006, Mr. Syahra argued that
different kinds of assistance should be considered for the tsunami survivors who had
returned to their previous residential areas. The primary concern should be put on
helping them to become economically self-reliant, while for the returnees the main
concern should be placed on psychosocial healing in order to prevent the occurrence
of the trans-generational transmission of social trauma.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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3. Strengthening communities through partnerships: Lessons learned – By
Ms. Kim Xuan Nguyen, Social Affairs Officer, Population and Social
Integration Section of Emerging Social Issues Division, UNESCAP
Ms. Nguyen Kim Xuan of UNESCAP stressed the importance of partnership in both
designing policies and their implementation to deal with the impact of natural
disasters and enhance community resilience. She brought out the challenges in
defining partnerships and elaborated on such issues as implementation roles of
partners in partnership and the implications different mandates and procedures related
to partnerships. While emphasising the rationale for partnerships that creates more
win-win outcomes by combining efforts, resources, expertise and information, she
underscored the need for treating the communities and voluntary sectors as true
partners. Caution was voiced as to unrealistic expectations which could lead to
potential conflicts if there were different mandates. She noted difficulties associated
with multi-level partnerships with multiple roles and responsibilities of partners at
various levels engaged in planning, policy making, service provision, monitoring and
resourcing. She further elaborated on the important role of the local government in
partnering with the communities as service providers in the context of the increased
decentralization of responsibilities.
4. Community support in response to natural disasters focusing on children
and youth: Lessons from experiences of other countries in the region –
Joseph Pannirselvam, UNESCAP Consultant
Mr. Pannirselvam shared the experiences from recent disaster responses of countries
such as Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Pakistan and Maldives to drive home the
following lessons:
• Active child participation enhanced the effectiveness of community-based
interventions
• Children with strong emotional support from the community were better able
to cope with the adversity brought about
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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• Undertakings that gave an affected person a sense of accomplishment had a
healing effect
• Formal education activities helped resume normalcy for children and youth
• Community support structures/committees/networks required orientation in
child and youth participation approaches in order to raise awareness on child
rights and protection
• Self-help groups, vocational and entrepreneurial skills training coupled with
marketing support and community banks to provide the necessary start up
capital were indeed urgently required to restore the livelihoods of families and
communities
• Capacity building measures involving CBOs, local authorities and paraprofessional
staff were critical to ensure programme sustainability
He concluded the presentation by citing a few successful outcomes of policy
advocacy work carried out by civil society organizations in these countries.
5. Ms. Umi Ratih Santoso, Centre for Community Resilience Development,
Ministry of Social Affairs
Ms Umi Ratih Santoso shared her experience in managing a pilot project to enhance
community resilience in West Nusatenggara province. The pilot project aimed to
increase the awareness of local institutions on the importance of various dimensions
as mentioned earlier by Mr. Ferry Johannes in enhancing community resilience.
Functionaries were invited from existing local institutions, such as youth and
women’s group, religious groups, formal and informal leaders to sit together and
discuss the ways in which the four dimensions could be developed in the community.
Other methods such as FGD, PRA, simulation and games were also used to instil the
principles of the key dimensions of community resilience among the participants. The
gatherings also offered an opportunity for participants to put forward ideas on vision
and mission, and devise development plans for their community.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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6. Mr. Haniff Asmara, Secretary of Badan Reintegrasi Damai Aceh (BRA –
Aceh Peaceful Reintegration Agency)
Mr. Haniff Asmara, former Head of DINSOS Aceh, and now the Secretary of Badan
Reintegrasi Damai Aceh (BRA, Aceh Peaceful Reintegration Agency) argued that the
reconstruction of Aceh could only be made possible when the conflict had been
resolved. However, the long-term conflict in Aceh left around 30,000 children
orphans, some of whom were children of GAM combatants. This number was much
higher than the OSCY victims of the tsunami. Mr. Haniff explained that the
construction of many orphanages or institutions during the conflict time and after the
tsunami could be understood considering the huge number of children who had lost
parents as an impact of both the social and natural disasters.
In addition, to address various problems encountered by orphans Mr. Haniff suggested
that Pusat Pelayanan Sosial Anak (Center for Child Social Services) be established at
every sub-district, because the DINSOS office at the district level would not be able to
provide services down to the sub-district level, more so at the village level. This was
even more the case for DINSOS at the provincial level. He added that to provide
better services by the sub-district centres, it should be managed by accredited social
workers. He also informed the participants that a number of higher institutions in
Aceh already had special programmes dedicated to students becoming accredited
social workers. In addition DINSOS Aceh had already trained 250 persons from all
areas of the province to become social workers. He believed that when the problem of
funding could be resolved though the government budget and contribution of
concerned stakeholders the centres could be established.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
12
DAY TWO
1. Role of social workers in child protection during natural disasters – By
Mr. Harry Hikmat, Head of Social Welfare Policy Analysis Section,
Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Harry Hikmat made a presentation on the role of social workers in protecting
children of disaster victims. He stressed the urgency to train as many social workers
as possible (disaster alert youth) who would be ready to help with disaster mitigation
in all areas of Indonesia. At the time of the meeting there were about 13,000 disaster
alert youths throughout the country and another 10,000 were soon to be recruited and
trained. He stressed the need to distinguish between social worker and social welfare
worker. In reality he observed that many people who helped the victims of disaster
were of the second type. He observed that thee were three difficulties with regard to
disaster mitigation viz. difficulty in having access to disaster struck areas as they
occurred in remote areas; difficulty in having reliable and accurate data disaggregated
by age, sex, vulnerability etc. as the available data were generally about adults; and
limited budget allocation by the Government coupled with strong bureaucracy. He
emphasized the need for standardized data and to act quickly to the rescue of disaster
victims.
In his paper he also described ten roles that a social worker could play in helping
OSCY:
(1) A broker in connecting children’s needs with basic social services;
(2) An advocate to ensure that policies and strategies in disaster management were
considered in the best interests of children;
(3) A teacher to provide children and educational institutions with knowledge and
skills in preventing children from social impacts of natural disaster;
(4) A case manager to ensure the sustainability of services and protection for children
in an integrated service system and network;
(5) A workload manager to ensure effective coordination in children’s services;
(6) A staff developer to facilitate the development of professional workers in handling
children’s problems in refugee centres;
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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(7) An administrator to help develop and implement policies and programmes;
(8) A change agent who participated in community-based disaster mitigation;
(9) A professional responsible for developing the competence and ethics of social
workers; and
(10) A counsellor who provided counselling to help reduce psychosocial trauma
experienced by disaster victims.
2. Role of Research and Academic institutions in policy advocacy for
enhancing community support towards children and families affected by
disaster – Mr. Imron Rosadi, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Indonesia
and the Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Imron Rosadi, illustrated examples on the involvement of a number of higher
institutions in disaster mitigation in Aceh, particularly the four higher institutions viz.
the STKS (College of Social Welfare), University of Indonesia, Gadjahmada
University, Bandung Institute of Technology and the University of Brawijaya who
had conducted several studies related to the handling of refugees based on the
concepts of social work, and had sent their teaching staffs to the tsunami hit areas,
both as professional social workers and volunteers in child protection. He felt that the
academics were required to adjust their proposals and recommendations in accordance
with the wishes of bureaucrats. Most programmes supported by the Government were
project oriented, with limited resources available for research activities. Ten to 15
Universities had received funding from DEPSOS to do research mainly because of the
interest shown by the Minister for Social Affairs.
3. Policy advocacy and the role of Civil Society Organizations: Bringing
meaning to community-based development – Mr. Nathan Knoll, Team
leader, ChildFund Indonesia
Mr. Nathan Knoll stressed the importance of policy advocacy to ensure that the
aspirations of the poor, the marginalized and the disadvantaged were voiced. In
addition this also gave women, youth and children an opportunity to express their
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
14
concerns and have a say in their own development. He also put forward some of the
activities that CFI had carried out and were still going on in helping the tsunami
survivors: OSCY, their families and communities, as well as helping the reintegration
of members of GAM through post-conflict projects. Activities that had been dedicated
for the conflict victims included peace-building initiatives through awareness
programmes for children, youth and communities; child protection programmes,
including psychosocial support for children and youths affected by the conflict;
programmes for basic literacy and early childhood development, and livelihood
support for OSCY, their families and communities. Advocacy efforts, in his view,
should deal with the causes and consequences of a particular problem/issue which
often required a multi-pronged approach. He concluded his presentation by
reinforcing the importance of the following:
• Empowering the poor and vulnerable to voice their views by facilitating
formal and informal networks among communities
• Linking communities with government services
• Building local capacity
• Helping shape national policy
4. Mr. Haris Merdeka Sirait, National Commission for Child Protection,
Jakarta
Mr. Haris Merdeka Sirait felt that children hardly received focal attention during
disasters and that the reconstruction work also did not address children’s needs – most
infrastructure was for adults. Children came as the last priority in data collection. He
observed that there were many children centres in Aceh but the activities were not
children-centred. He stressed the importance of synergy and cooperation among
various stakeholders in tackling the devastating impacts of the disaster on the lives of
Aceh people, especially children and their parents and communities. According to his
observation of all programmes intended to help the victims of disasters, only a few
had been designed to serve the best interests of children. Most assistance had been
oriented towards helping adults. In addition he noticed that there was a sheer
imbalance in the quality and strength of human and financial resources between local
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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and international NGOs. He argued that many local NGOs have qualified personnel
but could not do much in providing assistance for the tsunami survivors because of
the limited financial resources. On the other hand some international NGOs with an
abundance of money at their disposal could manage to conduct a wide range of
activities while the quality of many expatriate staff employed was questionable. He
therefore urged that only a limited number of INGOs that have qualified and
professional staffs shall be allowed to operate in Aceh.
5. Mr. Tata Sudradjat, Save the Children, Indonesia
Mr. Tata Sudradjat preferred using the term children’s home to orphanage because not
all children residing in an institution were orphans. Many still had parents but
economic hardship had forced them to send their children to the institution. Thus he
argued that the construction of many children’s homes in the aftermath of the tsunami
was inevitable because many parents and relatives could not afford to take care of the
children. However in his rapid assessment on the conditions of children’s homes he
found that many institutions constructed after the tsunami with a primary purpose to
obtain funding from donors. Therefore he suggested that the Government should
devise a regulation to restrict the construction of new children’s homes. In the absence
of such regulation he added that weakness in the registration and accreditation
processes could lead to the establishment of new institutions without prior assessment
on the needs, urgency and guarantee of fulfilling a minimum standard of services. To
meet this purpose DEPSOS should first develop a special registration and
accreditation system to be used in evaluating all existing institutions. Otherwise
OSCY could become a subject of commodity to the benefits of the owners of
institutions.
6. Mr. Ridwan Sulaiman, Head of DINSOS, Aceh
Mr. Ridwan Sulaiman, in his presentation suggested that early warning system for the
occurrence of tsunami should be devised by way of taking the experience from the
people in the Island of Simeulue in anticipating the last tsunami. He stated that
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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although the huge waves of the tsunami also hit their area, the disaster claimed only a
small number of its population. This was due to the traditional knowledge that had
been inherited from generation to generation on detecting the signs regarding the
coming of tsunamis, and the measures that should be immediately taken to save
oneself from such disasters. This kind of knowledge, he recommended, should be
documented and disseminated to all people in the areas that were prone to the dangers
of tsunamis.
7. Mr. Deni Purba, Pusaka Indonesia
Mr. Deni Purba of Pusaka Indonesia, a local NGO and affiliate of UNICEF, talked
about the activities of his NGO in providing psycho-social and livelihood support to
OSCY and their families and communities immediately in the aftermath of the
tsunami up to the present. Pusaka Indonesia with its 25 social workers had been
actively involved in helping children to heal the trauma since the first days of the
disaster in various refugee centres in Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh. A permanent child
centre was constructed in Banda Aceh which was operating since the middle of 2005
with financial assistance from UNICEF. Pusaka Indonesia was one of a few local
NGOs who joined the inter-agency network for family tracing and reunification
(FTR). As an affiliate of UNICEF it also helped disburse and control cash assistance
provided for 300 hundred families with OSCY, and micro-credit revolving funds for
around 100 households in early 2006. The number of staff had been gradually reduced
down to 8 due to the decrease in activities, and by the end of 2007 only 4 staff would
be active. Based on its vast experience in promoting child protection committees in its
operational areas, Pusaka Indonesia doubted if the communities would be able to
operate the child centres later when the management of the centres would be
transferred to them. Therefore he suggested that adequate preparations should be
made by way of training potential members of communities who would be
responsible to manage the children’s centres in the future.
Two representatives from among the tsunami survivors who participated in the last
training workshop in Banda Aceh presented their aspirations to conclude the second
day discussions. Mr. Ahmad from a refugee centre located in Jantho, Aceh Besar
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
17
District, urged that DEPSOS help agencies to provide technical and financial
assistance for around 180 households in his neighbourhood to start small businesses to
ease economic hardship that they were experiencing. Such assistance was expected to
make them self-reliant in the future. On the other hand, Ms. Eva Soraya, representing
her community in the city of Banda Aceh, whose dwelling area had been completely
devastated by the tsunami, wanted help to be provided to heal post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) that still afflicted her and most of her community members.
DAY THREE
IV. CLOSING
The last day of the meeting was dedicated to discussions on recommendations that
were based primarily on the materials presented and subsequent discussions during
the previous two days. Chaired by Ms. Thelma Kay, the session focused on proposing
measures to be undertaken to enhance community resilience to natural disasters and in
addressing social issues arising from natural disasters. The final recommendations
agreed upon by the floor at the end of the day are listed below:
1. Increase community preparedness and capacity to respond rapidly to
emergency situations.
2. Foster and promote good governance among all stakeholders.
3. Enhance awareness of and advocacy for affected people and communities, and
give women, children, youth and other disadvantaged groups an opportunity
to express their concerns and needs.
4. Encourage the development of partnerships and enhance synergy,
collaboration and coordination among government agencies, NGOs and
international organizations/donors, as well as other stakeholders.
5. Promote participation in decision making and implementation by all
stakeholders, including children, youth and communities.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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6. Consider and incorporate local values and cultures in all phases of disaster
preparedness and management.
7. Enhance formulation of priority strategies to address gender issues and to
protect children and youth, especially from violence, abuse, neglect and
exploitation.
8. Promote reliable data collection to develop a standardized evidence base for
understanding community needs, and developing and implementing effective
response strategies.
9. Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of all response strategies that are
implemented.
10. Support research activities related to community participation and social
resilience.
11. Ensure that the media play an effective role in dissemination and advocacy
with the interests of children, youth and their communities in mind.
12. Provide communities with the skills to ensure effective management and coordination
and facilitation of reconstruction and empowerment programmes,
as well as the sustainability of such community initiatives.
13. Facilitate the involvement of the private sector in the provision of food,
medical treatment and other necessities.
14. Recognize that the provision of effective, community driven and relevant
educational, training, recreational and development programmes should be a
focal point of the social reconstruction programme.
15. Enhance the training of social workers and the provision of services, including
psychosocial support, both during disaster and non-disaster periods.
16. Enhance the capacity of family and community care and the protection for
children in crisis/distress. Clear assessment is required to determine the
needs for additional children’s home.
17. Sensitize teachers and health-care workers to the need to increase children’s
access to child-friendly services.
18. Increase awareness of risk factors and behaviour, including drug use.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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19. Enhance mechanisms to prevent violence and, for where/when it happens, to
improve reporting.
20. Train social workers and other community groups to promote child rights.
21. Ensure reconstruction and social empowerment programmes focus on
developing basic infrastructure in communities badly damaged by natural
disasters and, in doing so, provide employment opportunities to local
communities.
22. Address poverty, food shortages and unemployment in the social
reconstruction programme by supporting the development of agriculture and
industry for affected communities.
23. Facilitate and prioritize the development of small, medium and microenterprises
which are owned and managed by disadvantaged groups and selfhelp
groups, as these form part of the growing economy and contribute
towards improving the quality of life.
24. Create employment opportunities which focus on previously disadvantaged
groups, such as the women, youth and persons with disabilities.
25. Use training to improve the livelihood and income earning capacity of those
who lack skills.
26. Establish and train self-help groups to provide support to families and help to
manage funds.
27. Ensure conservation and protection of the environment and natural resources
are focal areas in social reconstruction and social empowerment
programmes.
28. Develop effective strategies to ensure continuity and sustainability when
INGOs transition out.
Responding to the question posed by a couple of participants at the end of the meeting
as to what specific action plans that UNESCAP would have as a follow up of this
meeting, Mr. Marco Roncarati explained that the current project of UNESCAP would
come to an end shortly after supporting the following two activities:
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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i) A training workshop in Aceh in the middle of May 2007 in collaboration
with ChildFund Indonesia to build community networks – both formal and
informal. and to strengthen their capacity and support to address the needs
of OSCY
ii) A final national meeting in Jakarta in early August 2007 to disseminate the
key lessons learned from the project in enhancing community resilience in
responding to natural disasters focusing on children and youth
In closing the meeting Ms. Thelma Kay expressed her appreciation, on behalf of
UNESCAP, of the active participation by all at the meeting and thanked the officials
of the Ministry of Social Affairs for their support and cooperation in making it a
success. The final closing words were delivered by the Deputy Director General of the
Social Rehabilitation Services of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Indonesia.
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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ANNEX I:
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Mr. Makmur Sunusi Director General of Social Rehabilitation
Services, Ministry of Social Affairs, Indonesia
Mr. Haniff Asmara Secretary of Badan Reintegrasi Damai Aceh
(BRA – Aceh Peaceful Reintegration Agency)
Mr. Ferry Johannes Senior Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Social
Affairs, Government of Indonesia
Mr. Harry Hikmat Head of Social Welfare Policy Analysis Section,
Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Imron Rosadi Centre for Conflict Resolution, Indonesia and
the Ministry of Social Affairs
Ms. Umi Ratih Santoso Centre for Community Resilience Development,
Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Haris Merdeka Sirait National Commission for Child Protection,
Jakarta
Mr. Tata Sudradjat Save the Children, Indonesia
Mr. Ridwan Sulaiman (Kepala Dinas Social NAD)
Ms. Farida Zuraini, MM (Kasubdin Litbang & Progrham)
Mr. Isnandar, AKS, MSi (Kasie Penelitian & Pengembangan)
Mr. Deni Purba (Pusaka Indonesia)
Mr. Safwan Nurdin, SE (Yayasan Pembaharu Aceh)
Mr. Gungun Purnama, S. Sos
Mr. Ahmad Balu (Aceh Besar)
Ms. Eva Soraya (Aceh Besar)
__________
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
22
RESOURCE PERSONS
Mr. Nathan Knoll, Team Leader, ChildFund, Indonesia
Mr. Joseph Pannirsalvam, Consultant, Emerging Social Issues Division, UNESCAP,
Bangkok, Thailand
___________
SECRETARIAT
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP)
Ms. Thelma Kay Director, Emerging Social Issues Division
Ms. Kim Xuan Thi Nguyen Social Affairs Officer, Population and Social
Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues
Division
Mr. Marco Roncarati Social Affairs Officer, Health and Development
Section, Emerging Social Issues Division
___________
Ministry of Social Affairs, Government of Indonesia
Ms. Sri Subekti Head of Sub Directorate, Child Protection,
Directorate for Child Welfare, Department of
Social Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Kiki Riadi Head of Section for Monitoring and Evaluation
for Disabled Children, Department of Social
Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Agus Hasyim Head of Section for Monitoring and Evaluation
of Child Protection, Department of Social
Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Arif Rohman Staff Child Protection, Department of Social
Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs
Mr. Rasiwan Staff Child Protection Department of Social
Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs
__________
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
23
ANNEX II:
PROGRAMME
Day 1 – Wednesday, 21 March 2007
08.30 – 09.00 hours Registration
09.00 – 09.45 Item 1: Opening and welcome remarks
Mr. Suharno, Director of Child Social Protection, Ministry of
Social Affairs, Indonesia
Ms. Thelma Kay, Director, Emerging Social Issues Division,
UNESCAP
Mr. Makmur Sunusi, Director General of Social Rehabilitation
Services, Ministry of Social Affairs, Indonesia
09.45 – 10.00 Tea/coffee break
10.00 – 12.00 Item 2: Project overview and objectives of the meeting
Mr. Marco Roncarati, Social Affairs Officer, Health and
Development Section of Emerging Social Issues Division,
UNESCAP
Item 3: Policies and Stages in developing social resilience
anticipating natural disaster
Mr. Ferry Johannes, Senior Policy Advisor to the Ministry of
Social Affairs
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch break
13.00 – 1530 Item 4: Overview of on-going efforts in Aceh: findings and
recommendations on enhancing community support
Mr. Rusydi Syahra, UNESCAP Consultant based in Indonesia
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
24
Item 5: Lessons learned from past experiences and from
other countries
Strengthening communities through partnerships: Lessons
learned
Ms. Kim Xuan Nguyen, Social Affairs Officer, Population and
Social Integration Section of Emerging Social Issues Division,
UNESCAP
Community support in response to natural disasters
focusing on children and youth: Lessons from experiences
of other countries in the region
Joseph Pannirselvam, UNESCAP Consultant
Experience of a pilot project to enhance community
resilience in West Nusatenggara province
Ms. Umi Ratih Santoso, Centre for Community Resilience
Development, Ministry of Social Affairs
15.30 – 15.45 Tea/coffee break
15.45 – 16.15 Item 5 (continued)
Provision of better services to OSCY
Mr. Haniff Asmara, Secretary of Badan Reintegrasi Damai
Aceh (BRA – Aceh Peaceful Reintegration Agency)
16.15 – 16.45 Discussions
16.45 – 17.00 Wrap-up of Day 1 by Mr. Rusydi Syahra,
Day 2 – Thursday, 22 March 2007
09.00 – 10.30 Item 6: Current Policies and measures to build community
resilience to natural disasters in Indonesia
Role of social workers in child protection during natural
disasters
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
25
Mr. Harry Hikmat, Head of Social Welfare Policy Analysis
Section, Ministry of Social Affairs
Item 7: Policy advocacy and the roles of different social
institutions
Role of Research and Academic institutions in policy
advocacy for enhancing community support towards
children and families affected by disaster
Mr. Imron Rosadi, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Indonesia
and the Ministry of Social Affairs
Discussion
10.30 – 10.45 Tea/coffee break
10.45 – 12.00 Item 7 (continued)
Policy advocacy and the role of Civil Society Organisations:
Bringing meaning to community-based development
Mr. Nathan Knoll, Team leader, ChildFund Indonesia
Discussion
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch break
13.00 – 15.00 Item 7 (continued)
Mr. Haris Merdeka Sirait, National Commission for Child
Protection, Jakarta
Mr. Tata Sudradjat, Save the Children, Indonesia
15.00 – 15.15 Tea/coffee break
15.15 – 16.45 Item 8: Voices from Aceh
Mr. Ridwan Sulaiman, Head of DINSOS, Aceh
Mr. Deni Purba, Pusaka Indonesia
Two community representatives
Discussion
16.45 – 17.00 Wrap-up of Day 2 by Mr. Rusydi Syahra
Report of the national meeting on policy advocacy for enhancing community resilience to
natural disasters focusing on children and youth, Jakarta, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2007
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Day 3 – Friday, 23 March 2007
08.30 – 10.00 Item 9: Recommendations for follow-up action
Ms. Thelma Kay, Director, Emerging Social Issues Division,
UNESCAP
Discussion
10.00 – 10.15 Tea/coffee break
10.15- 11.45 Item 9 (continued)
Discussion
11.45 – 12.00 Item 10: Closing remarks
Deputy Director General of the Social Rehabilitation Services,
Ministry of Social Affairs