Rahmawati Husein of the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) called on the AP-KI to use this year’s World Humanitarian Day, falling close to the 76^th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, as an opportunity for consolidation.

"The Indonesian humanitarian community must be able to stand on its own feet in response to the extraordinary humanitarian impact of this never-ending pandemic," Rahmawati, also the founder of the AP-KI, said in a statement.

Given that humanitarian communities from the Global West and North have reduced and halted aid programs in response to the pandemic, Civil Society Organizations and NGOs must consolidate the humanitarian system in Indonesia, she asserted.

Puji Pujiono from NGO Sejajar stated, “Earlier this September the AP-KI invited the government, UN agencies and international NGOs as well as business actors to jointly reconstruct the Indonesian humanitarian framework to form the national humanitarian pooled fund, institutional arrangements for CSOs/NGOs with the government and other actors, and strengthen humanitarian capacity and accountability.” 

According to him, the consolidation was a response to the Grand Bargain 2.0, a global humanitarian reform that was adopted in June.

M. Ali Yusuf from the Humanitarian Forum Indonesia explained, “The focus of this humanitarian reform is on quality funding and support for local humanitarian actors, so that humanitarian aid can be received optimally by those who need support.”

In regard to this year's theme, Harris Oematan of the Jejaring Mitra Kemanusiaan explained, “On this day 18 years ago, 22 humanitarian workers and leaders died in a bomb explosion in Iraq.”

This day was later designated by the United Nations as World Humanitarian Day, he said.

Relating the theme to the context of the pandemic in Indonesia, Abdul Rouf, a representative from the Association of Zakat Management Organizations (POROZ) added, "The suffering, losses and deaths of humanitarian workers that occur when they work and struggle to help their fellow human beings are not just statistics. The AP-KI regrets the situation.”

Hamid Abidin of Philanthropy Indonesia highlighted the importance of building on the spirit of respecting and protecting humanitarian workers.

"The Indonesian government must give recognition to the humanitarian workers, and ensure adequate and decent protection, including vaccination, means of self-protection, as well as treatment when infected," he said.

This year’s World Humanitarian Day carries the theme “A global challenge for climate action in solidarity with people who need it the most.”

With regard to the theme, Bambang Suherman of Forum Zakat expressed the AP-KI's concern over the climate change crisis in Indonesia and its humanitarian impacts.

“Climate change causes people to no longer fully rely on the surrounding environment as a resource to fulfill their daily needs. If climate change is not managed immediately, it will cause the loss of people's sources of livelihood, and contribute to increasing poverty.”

Avianto Amri of the Indonesian Disaster Management Society (MPBI) said, “Coordination and collaboration are needed to ensure that humanitarian assistance is available for people affected by the pandemic and recovering from disasters, especially for millions of vulnerable children, women and men, people with disabilities, the elderly and other vulnerable groups.”

The AP-KI said it encouraged the government and world leaders to take immediate, adequate and meaningful policy, resource and program actions to address the impacts of climate change.

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