Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Sakiasi Ditoka 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 program.
This initiative is part of the Trilateral Cooperation Program 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 promote the sharing of knowledge and experiences on various topics. This includes the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Indonesia’s Disaster Management System.
The exchange program supports one of the Ministry’s five Strategic Priority Areas, which focuses on effective coordination and facilitation of national disaster operations and disaster risk reduction. As the current chair for the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting, Fiji values this opportunity to learn how regional coordination mechanisms function in Southeast Asian countries through the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre.
The inaugural Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting was endorsed during the recent 53rd Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting held in Tonga. The exchange program is currently in progress.