Sakiasi Ditoka, the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, is leading a delegation from his Ministry and the Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in Jakarta, Indonesia, for a week-long peer-to-peer exchange. This initiative is part of the Trilateral Cooperation Programme involving the governments of Indonesia, Australia, and Fiji.
Organized by the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Disaster Risk Management (SIAP SIAGA) on behalf of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, the program aims to foster the sharing of knowledge and experiences on various topics. These include the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Indonesia’s disaster management system.
The peer-to-peer exchange aligns with one of the Ministry’s five Strategic Priority Areas focused on effective coordination and facilitation of national disaster operations and disaster risk reduction. As the current chair of the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting, Fiji is thankful for the opportunity to learn about regional coordination mechanisms in Southeast Asia through the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre.
The inaugural Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting was recently endorsed during the 53rd Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting held in Tonga. The exchange program is currently in progress.