Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Sakiasi Ditoka is leading a delegation from his Ministry and Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to 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.
The Australian-Indonesian Partnership for Disaster Risk Management (SIAP SIAGA), coordinated by the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, is overseeing the organization of this visit. The primary goal is to share knowledge and experiences in areas such as the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Indonesia’s Disaster Management System.
This exchange aligns with one of the Ministry’s five Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs), focusing on effective coordination and facilitation of national disaster operations and risk reduction. As the current chair of the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting, Fiji views this peer exchange as a valuable opportunity to understand how regional coordination mechanisms operate in Southeast Asia through the AHA Centre.
The inaugural Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting was approved during the recent 53rd Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting held in Tonga. The exchange programme is currently in progress.