Building Resilience to Natural Disasters: Lessons from Indonesia’s Experience in Post-

Disaster Recovery

Anita KendrickGovernance and Environment Consultant

World Bank, IndonesiaIFPRI 2020 Conference

May 15-17, Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Indian Ocean Tsunami: December 26, 2004A 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered the deadliest tsunami in historyAceh most severely affected :• 220,000 people dead or missing• 635,000 displaced• 4,000 villages affected (directly or

indirectly)• Livelihoods in fishing, agriculture,

small businesses destroyed•Local governments and

communities decimated• Complex Post conflict context• Damage estimated at US$6.2

billion

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world

For almost all of Indonesia, exposure to disaster risk is high

Probability/Risk: varies significantly Climate change: increases risksExposure: high Preparedness: reduces vulnerability,

reduces losses

A Global Response to the Tsunami

Unprecedented global response involving many actors:

• Local communities first responders• National government, military, civil society &

private sector• International community: Foreign governments

and militaries, UN Agencies, humanitarian organizations, private sector and individuals (900+ organizations)

• Pledges of over $6.7 billion

Need for Coordination• Key role of Indonesian Government: Coordination

of the response• Created Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation

Agency (the BRR)• Requested support for donor coordination creation of the Multi Donor Fund for Aceh and Nias – pooled $650 million from 15 donors– Government led partnership (government, donors,

UN, World Bank)– Model was replicated for Java earthquake in 2006

(JRF)

Aceh’s Recovery: Innovation and Learning

• No one was prepared to deal with this scale of disaster

• All kind of organizations involved---not just the usual humanitarian actors

• Resources and scale allowed space for innovation—Aceh became a learning laboratory for disaster response and recovery

• Build Back Better—allowed room to think beyond immediate needs, including more focus on disaster preparedness

Key Lesson: Adopt a Phased Approach

• 1st phase for speed: most urgent recovery needs– Housing, logistics and transport links, debris cleanup

• 2nd phase for quality: more complex needs– Major infrastructure, environment, capacity building

• 3rd phase for sustainability: Transition to long term – Economic development and improve livelihoods, disaster

risk reduction, exit strategiesCan’t achieve everything at once---but many disaster

recovery situations don’t have resources for phase 3

Meet evolving needs based on balancing speed, quality and sustainability:

Key lessons learned: Speed vs. Quality

Key lessons learned: Capacity Building

Capacity Building Activities require a longer time horizon relative to other Recovery/Reconstruction Activities—need to factor in to project design

The most important lesson learned from MDF-JRF:Communities can take the lead

in their own recovery

–.

Community-based housing programs in Aceh and Java: • delivered housing cheaper and higher quality

(community members do the work themselves and the quality control)

• adopted by the GoI as its reconstruction approach • high rates of beneficiary satisfaction and ownership• very good targeting of beneficiaries

Community-based planning and infrastructure reconstruction:

such as access roads and bridges, markets, water supply, schools, drainage, retaining walls,

evacuation routes

Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction

--DRR can be built into the housing program from the start--- people will adopt and use these techniques in their own building---Communities can map risks and prepare for future disasters

Indonesia emerged from the Tsunami better prepared to manage disasters

• National Disaster Management Agency and strategy

• Provincial & local Disaster Mgt Agencies• Tested models for disaster recovery in place• Skilled people with experience in disaster

management• Communities more prepared to mitigate the

impacts and cope with results of disasters

Don’t Just Rebuild

• Build Back Better (GoI’s motto) AND

• Build Resilience: aim to strengthen the national and local Governments’ and communities’ capacities to prepare for and respond to future emergencies