New draft legislation for Indonesia

The Indonesian Parliament is in the process of drafting a new disaster management Bill, which will provide a firm legal basis for disaster management activities throughout the territory of Indonesia. The Bill seeks to establish a new institutional structure for disaster management consisting of a National Disaster Management Council (DPB) and Regional Disaster Management Councils (Regional DPB), which operate on a permanent and independent basis. The Bill recognises the role of local communities and NGOs in preparing for and responding to disasters, and in this spirit the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has been invited to share comments on the Bill. The International Federation, in particular through the IDRL Asia-Pacific project and the Federation country delegation, has been giving support to the PMI in preparing its feedback to the parliament. It is hoped that the development of additional implementing regulations will further strengthen disaster management in Indonesia, including situations requiring international assistance.