VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ahead of UN Day on October 24, and International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13), Voice of Indonesia, the international service of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) and the United Nations in Indonesia organized Diplomatic Forum talk show themed Multilateralism and Sustainable Resilient Future on Wednesday (October 16, 2019).

With its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and an archipelagic country surrounded by the sea, Indonesia continues to face the risk of natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and floods.

Natural disasters cause terrible suffering and can wipe out the benefits of development for decades in an instant. UN data shows that the Central Sulawesi disaster last year witnessed the destruction of 110,214 homes, a total of 172,999 people displaced and killing 7,000 people (4,845 people were killed and identified, 1,016 died and unidentified, and 705 missing and considered dead).

To achieve a sustainable and resilient future, all sectors must jointly implement change in Indonesia, as stated in the 16 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Insights and input on how to ensure a sustainable and resilient future in Indonesia will be very useful for this Forum," said Agung Soesatyo, Director of Voice of Indonesia, Tuesday (10/15) in Jakarta.

According to him, multilateralism which is often echoed by the UN in world development can be encouraged to respond to natural disasters that often occur in Indonesia.

"Togetherness in handling disasters and shaping a strong future is our common goal. "Before the commemoration of the 75th UN Day in 2020, it's time for us to start building a dialogue on multilateralism," he said.

The Diplomatic Forum featured speakers Mindaraga Rahardja, (Human Affairs Analyst of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -OCHA); Christian Usfinit (Team Leader for Resilience and Reconstruction of United Nations Development Programs-UNDP) and Risya Kora (Program Specialist for Gender of the United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA); and Tetrie Darwis (Head of Sub Directorate for Preparedness and Mitigation, Directorate of Social Protection for Victims of Natural Disasters, Ministry of Social Affairs). (Release VOI/ANDY)