Indonesian tsunami rehab expert arrives in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The man behind the rehabilitation of the tsunami-devastated Aceh province in Indonesia is in the Philippines to give insights on managing large-scale recovery programs for the reconstruction of provinces wrecked by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Visiting Indonesian Senior Minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said he looks forward to sharing his expertise and contributing to designing an efficient recovery plan for the Yolanda-devastated areas.

“I’m here to offer the government and the international community my experience as the coordinator of rehabilitation of Aceh,” he said.

Luiza Carvalho, United Nations humanitarian and resident coordinator and UN Development Program resident representative, said: “The aim of this significant visit by Dr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto is to share ways to ensure that the recovery process in the Philippines will build resilience against future typhoons, lift people out of poverty and manage natural resources responsibly.” 

The 2004 tsunami killed approximately 230,000 people, about half of whom were in Aceh.

Mangkusubroto was appointed director of the National Agency for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation for Aceh-Nias known as BRR-Aceh and Nias.

BRR carried out more than 5,000 reconstruction projects and more than 12,500 others involving over 60 bilateral donors and multilateral agencies and roughly 700 non-government organizations.

The UN team in Indonesia was asked to support BRR through training, the development of coordination systems, business processes and standard operating procedures.

Mangkusubroto’s three-day trip includes an executive meeting with selected Cabinet secretaries and the international community involved in the recovery process.

Mangkusubroto’s agenda also includes a technical workshop that will bring together recovery managers from other post-disaster situations.

The UNDP is organizing this important exchange at the request of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.