Disaster Resource Partnership in Indonesia: From Words to Action – Olivia Bessat

Olivia Bessat is guest blogging for the Forum. She is a member of the Global Agenda Council Team and is attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

What would you do if you knew that due to the combined effects of climate change, rapid urbanization, population growth and resource scarcity, the humanitarian caseload would increase and millions of lives and livelihoods would be at stake?

While you are thinking about it, let me tell you how the private sector, international organizations, NGOs, social entrepreneurs and academics answered that question during an earthquake simulation exercise this year here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos: invest in disaster preparedness, since humanitarian assistance goes way beyond the relief effort, and set up a clear and efficient command and coordination structure (since in times of crisis the private sector wants "the right vehicle” to offer its help, materials and expertise). Also, establish sound assessment processes (to get a clear picture of what the gaps and the capacity to cope with the aftermath of a disaster are) and involve all actors that are on site to leverage their expertise and, last but not least, fully involve local communities while setting up prearrangements before the crisis occurs, through training and knowledge exchange. This last point is utterly capital: as stressed during the Africa dinner, aid has to be used for capacity building purposes, so that eventually beneficiary countries can stand on their own, given that it is organised in an equitable way, with the commitment of all interested parties.
   
Does that sound familiar? Well, it should, as all these measures, which make a lot of sense and are definitely needed, have already been repeatedly highlighted. The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Humanitarian Assistance has elaborated on them in Perspectives. In humanitarian jargon, we sometimes refer to “donor fatigue”, which occurs when so many appeals are launched that the funding of each remains low. Bono, in Le Monde (27.01) says that, “So far, the transformational talk hasn’t turned into transformational action.” But I have the feeling we are now moving from discussion fatigue (after all, the idea of business partnering with humanitarian actors was developed more than a decade ago) to an appetite for action.

To illustrate that, at the Annual Meeting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced the creation with the Forum of the Disaster Resource Partnership (DRP) National Network in Indonesia, which will bring the Indonesian government, local and national engineering and construction companies, and civil society together for more efficient and effective disaster management. In a nutshell, the three actors will create a framework in which each will make the most of its capacity and prerogatives in a well-coordinated way when a disaster strikes. In light of the launch of the World Economic Forum Risk Response Network, it is worth noting that the Forum supports efforts on risk awareness and mitigation to improve both risk AND disaster resilience.