Strengthening inclusion is essential to ensure equal access to opportunities, services and resources for all individuals, regardless of background, ability or identity. An inclusive environment encourages mutual support and respect for diversity. In Indonesia, understanding of inclusion and strengthening related to inclusion is not yet widespread among the public, government agencies and other stakeholders. Through the SEHATI project, a consortium led by CBM Indonesia, YEU, and the Indonesian Disaster Management Society (MPBI) aims to create an inclusive society where persons with disabilities, older persons, and other high-risk groups can live with dignity and be resilient to disasters.
So far, the SEHATI Project has been running for almost 6 months. On 5-6 March 2025, SEHATI held a basic training course on inclusive disaster management in Jakarta, involving two organisations for persons with disabilities, namely the Indonesian Association of Persons with Disabilities (PPDI) and the Indonesian Women with Disabilities Association (HWDI). This training aimed to deepen participants' understanding of disaster management concepts and policies in Indonesia, understand mainstreaming issues across sectors, such as gender, the involvement of high-risk groups, persons with disabilities, and social inclusion, as well as safeguarding and introducing humanitarian principles, codes of conduct, and core standards in humanitarian action.
There were three topics discussed during the first day of training, namely an introduction to disability, the concept of disasters and inclusive disaster management, and aspects of inclusion in the field of disaster management services. During the discussion, training participants were given an understanding that Indonesia already has policies governing the implementation and fulfilment of disability rights, namely Law No. 8 of 2016, Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 42 of 2020 concerning accessibility to housing, public services, and protection from disasters for persons with disabilities, and Regulation of the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Number 14 of 2014 concerning the handling, protection, and participation of persons with disabilities in disaster management.
One of the crucial issues that emerged in this discussion was that these policies have not been fully implemented due to errors in accessibility measures and limited public understanding of the concept of disability, including disability itself. This session also provided an opportunity for participants to convey the potential role that persons with disabilities can play in disaster response. Based on this discussion, it was concluded that in order to ensure the active involvement of persons with disabilities in disaster management, there needs to be access, opportunities and capacity building.
On the second day, before the main session began, training participants took part in a simulation of independent evacuation for persons with disabilities during an earthquake. This was followed by a group discussion on data collection for at-risk groups, accessibility and disability inclusion guidelines in disaster response. In this session, participants were more involved in practical exercises, such as role-playing in data collection and assessing physical and non-physical accessibility in a hotel building. This assessment aimed to identify good practices in mapping accessibility needs in public spaces and frequently accessed buildings, which could later be applied in disaster response efforts.
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Author: Nila Pratiwi – Information and Communications Officer