Oxfam and the Bima administration, with the support of the Australian Government Aid Agency (AusAID) on Monday launched it as a role model of a disaster resilient city.

First launched in 2012, the Disaster Resilient City project has continued under cooperation between Oxfam and its local partner,Institute for the Development of Democratic Participation and the People's Economy (LP2DER), with the support of the Australia Indonesia Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (AIFDR).

'€œThe project has supported Bima and the National Disaster Management Agency [BNPB] in establishing Disaster Resilient Communities and Cities. The project will continue until 2019,'€ said Oxfam about the project, which was launched in the yard of the Bima administration office in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara.

The international aid agency further explained that Bima was selected to host the program because it had a fairly high risk of natural disasters, such as floods, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Since joining with the program, Bima has produced a series of government policies and programs. All this is in line with the mandate of the Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction 2005-2015.

'€œIn line with the formulation of a new strategy for disaster risk reduction through the Sendai Framework 2015-2030, Oxfam supports the central and local governments in realizing the targets envisioned in the Sendai framework, particularly in reducing the number of people affected by disasters, minimizing economic losses as well as reducing the disruption of public services as a result of the disaster,'€ the agency said.

In this context, Oxfam said it supported the BNPB in strengthening Bima as a pilot project of Indonesia'€™s Disaster Resilient City model.

"Disaster risk mitigation activities should continue until people and their livelihoods are thoroughly prepared and resilient in the face of disaster," Oxfam Indonesia'€™s director Nanang Subana Dirja said.

It is expected that in late 2019, entire villages identified as high risk in Bima would be able to prepare their people to be responsive, ready and able to help themselves during disasters.

'€œIt is expected that Bima will be able to make a maximum effort to protect people from the risk of disasters and be alert and responsive in providing humanitarian rescue services in the event of a disaster,'€ said Oxfam, adding that Bima could eventually become a model of disaster resilient cities in Indonesia.

To achieve these objectives, Oxfam and LP2DER will strengthen the capacity of the implementing team to replicate resilient villages in 32 districts, among others.

Until the end of the program in 2019 it is expected that more than 165,000 residents of Bima will benefit directly from the program. (ebf)

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