Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Sakiasi Ditoka has arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, leading a delegation from his Ministry and the Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) 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 exchange, organized by the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Disaster Risk Management (SIAP SIAGA) under the auspices of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, focuses on sharing knowledge and experiences regarding disaster management. Key topics include the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Indonesia’s disaster management system.
This initiative supports one of the Ministry’s five Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs), which emphasizes 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 values this opportunity to learn about the regional coordination mechanisms in Southeast Asia, particularly through the AHA Centre.
The inaugural Pacific Disaster Risk Management Ministers Meeting was recently endorsed at the 53rd Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting held in Tonga. The exchange programme is currently in progress.