Indonesia as a centre for disaster knowledge and technology 

On Monday February 24, 2020 the soft launch of the Asia Disaster Management and Civil Protection Expo and Conference (Adexco) took place in Jakarta, Indonesia.



Indonesia has a history of a variety of extreme events that have had an impact on people’s lives and property. In connection with various types of disasters that often occur, Monardi hopes that Indonesia will not only become a ‘disaster supermarket’ but also a disaster management laboratory both at home and abroad. Image: manjik/123rf

Event organisers, Expoindo Kayanna Mandiri (EKM) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BPNB) say that the natural and man-made hazards that affect Indonesia can be a lesson to it and other Asian countries in respect of disaster mitigation and management.

They believe that unravelling the problems related to disaster is not only the responsibility of the government, but is also down to the active participation of all elements of society.

"The President has emphasised the need for ‘pentahelix’ collaboration that we have built so that we can raise collective awareness about the risks around us," says Head of the BNPB, Doni Monardo. Active participation from the five pentahelix elements (government, academia, industry, community, and media) has also become a key factor related to disaster management in Indonesia.

In regards to floods and landslides for example, there is a need for public awareness not to throw garbage just anywhere and to encourage the public to participate in protecting the ecosystem and environmental sustainability. Similarly, the government is expected to be able to issue regulations and policies that favour disaster mitigation and management.

The complexity of the extreme events that affect Indonesia has inspired BNPB and EKM to hold a national seminar entitled ‘The application of technology innovation and ecosystem approaches in local wisdom-based disaster management’. This activity is expected to increase the awareness and insight of all elements of the nation in its use of technology and to maintain ecosystems based on local wisdom in disaster management.

The national seminar is one of a series of Adexco events that will take place from October 20-22, 2020 at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta. The organisers want the large-scale event to place Indonesia as the centre of disaster solutions in the Asian region.

Carrying the tagline: “When we take care of nature, nature takes care of us” Adexco will be attended by 300 exhibitors who will showcase upstream and downstream of the disaster industry, ranging from the disaster alarm and warning system, to fire protection equipment, power devices and CCTV, through to emergency and rescue equipment. The organisers hope that there will be around 10,000 visitors to the exhibitions and conferences. The Crisis Response Journal is proud to be working closely with EKM to promote the exciting new event and will be involved in curating much of the conference over the course of the two days.

For details, visit the website here

Photo: EKM/BNPB