Sakiasi Ditoka, the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, is leading a delegation from his Ministry and the Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) on a week-long peer-to-peer exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia. 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) at the request of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, the exchange aims to enhance knowledge and share experiences regarding various topics, including the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Indonesia’s disaster management system.
This peer-to-peer exchange is in line 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 views this 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 recently endorsed during the 53rd Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting held in Tonga. The exchange program is currently in progress.