ndonesia’s coastal area is exposed to natural hazards while home to highly vulnerable communities. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) are needed to reduce the effects of climate change on coastal communities and enhance their resilience against future disasters. Combining CCA-DRR governance with community-led initiatives has been proven by many scholars to be effective in strengthening coastal communities’ resilience compared to top-down CCA-DRR programs. Community-led initiatives are also mentioned in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 as vital in understanding and addressing risk. This policy brief elaborates a series of recommendations on implementing community-led CCA-DRR to improve resilience in Indonesia’s coastal communities.

Indonesia faces unique and interconnected social and economic challenges stemming from high informality rates, rapid aging, and vulnerability to disasters. These challenges disproportionately affect a critical demographic—the “missing middle class”—a group often overlooked in traditional social protection frameworks. Addressing their needs through an Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) system is essential for ensuring economic stability, upward mobility/productivity, and resilience against shocks.

Indonesia menghadapi tantangan sosial dan ekonomi yang unik dan saling terkait yang berasal dari tingginya tingkat informalitas, tren penuaan yang cepat, dan tingginya kerentanan terhadap bencana alam. Tantangan-tantangan ini secara disproporsional berdampak pada kelompok demografis kritis—disebut sebagai “kelas menengah yang hilang”—sebuah kelompok yang kerap terabaikan dalam kerangka perlindungan sosial tradisional. Mengatasi kebutuhan mereka melalui sistem Perlindungan Sosial Adaptif (PSA) sangat penting untuk memastikan stabilitas ekonomi, meningkatkan mobilitas/produktivitas, dan ketahanan terhadap guncangan.

Slow-onset disasters, such as sea-level rise, have significant impacts in Indonesia. However, Law No. 16 of 2016 about the Ratification of the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change does not yet address the management of slow-onset disasters, particularly in responding to human mobility issues such as displacement, migration, and relocation resulting from climate change. Addressing the impacts of climate change and slow-onset disasters requires support from a more vertically integrated climate change framework. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen policy integration at the local level, enhance social protection, and conduct regular data monitoring. Local governments are crucial in translating national policies on slow-onset disasters and climate change into local actions. Their limited awareness and commitment to addressing these issues highlight the need for concrete steps, such as developing adaptation frameworks, integrating development plans with climate change strategies, and strengthening social protection measures. Moreover, regular monitoring of policy implementation will help determine anticipatory efforts for the future.

Surabaya has leveraged new technology in participatory planning to improve public services and community involvement, yet faces challenges in inclusivity and translating efforts into risk-informed development. Addressing these challenges requires community education on disaster and climate risks, local government initiatives to enhance inclusivity and data security, national government alignment of planning and disaster laws, and international collaboration on knowledge sharing for risk-sensitive planning.

Indonesia faces significant earthquake risks, leading to substantial economic losses. Recent data shows frequent and damaging earthquakes with minimal utilisation of non-public finances (such as insurance). Despite government efforts to finance recovery, the gap between annual disaster-related expenditure and actual losses remains large. Property insurance utilisation for earthquake risks, especially for residential buildings, remains low due to factors such as limited awareness, affordability issues, and non-optimal regulatory support. However, opportunities are present within the unveiling of Law No. 4 of 2023 (which includes mandates for disaster insurance), Indonesia’s DRFI Strategy, current mortgage loan models, and developments within InsurTech.

Bencana yang terjadi secara perlahan atau slow onset disaster, seperti kenaikan permukaan laut, menimbulkan dampak yang signifikan di Indonesia. Undang-Undang No. 16/2016 belum mengatur tentang pengelolaan slow onset disaster terlebih untuk merespon isu perpindahan manusia seperti pengungsian, migrasi, dan relokasi sebagai dampak perubahan iklim. Solusi mengenai dampak perubahan iklim dan slow onset disaster juga perlu didukung oleh kerangka perubahan iklim yang lebih terintegrasi secara vertikal. Maka dari itu, penting untuk menguatkan integrasi kebijakan di tingkat daerah, memperkuat perlindungan sosial, dan melakukan pemantauan data yang berkala. Pemerintah daerah memiliki peran krusial dalam menerjemahkan kebijakan nasional terkait slow onset disaster dan perubahan iklim ke tingkat lokal. Masih terbatasnya kesadaran dan komitmen Pemerintah Daerah dalam merespon isu ini menunjukkan perlunya diambil langkah-langkah konkret seperti pembentukan kerangka kerja adaptasi, integrasi rencana pembangunan dengan perubahan iklim, serta penguatan perlindungan sosial. Selain itu, pemantauan penerapan kebijakan secara berkala akan membantu menentukan upaya antisipatif di masa depan. keywords: Perubahan Iklim, Slow-onset Disaster, Migrasi, Adaptasi dan Mitigasi, Ketahanan Lokal

To realise ASP, it is necessary to build some basic level of knowledge and understanding about the ASP concept among key relevant stakeholders. With an increasing number of interlinked shocks and vulnerabilities due to disasters, climate change risks, and socioeconomic shocks, it is urgent to have ASP in regions with multiple covariate risks. To overcome challenges in implementing the four pillars of ASP, concerted efforts to identify linkages and complementarities among fragmented policies and programs are required.

This policy brief underscores the role of human activities, particularly unsustainable economic development, in exacerbating climate change threats. The impacts of climate change, such as rising temperatures, pose continuous challenges to public health, disrupting health delivery systems and leading to adverse health outcomes. Given that ASEAN is highly susceptible to climate-related hazards, the region must prioritise preparations for the escalating threats of climate change within the health sector. Establishing climate-resilient health systems is crucial in this regard. Therefore, implementing and enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures within the health sector are imperative steps to achieve this goal.

This policy brief highlights the recurring outbreaks of infectious diseases in Southeast Asia, such as the Nipah virus, the H1N1 virus, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasises the geographical position of the ASEAN region and the complex interplay between various factors contributing to the emergence of infectious diseases. These factors include population growth, climate change, human susceptibility to infection, and microbial evolution. Failure to address these risks adequately could escalate into Public Health Emergencies of Concern, impacting regional health security and other sectors like the economy. The brief recommends that ASEAN and its member countries enhance public health preparedness and measures, taking into account the unique needs and challenges of each member state, including political and infrastructural factors.

According to the latest UN ESCAP estimates, droughts have caused an annual economic loss of roughly US$ 23,308 million to Indonesia. Global initiatives have recommended the use of insurance to protect agricultural livelihoods, but currently most farmers are not aware of the benefits of insurance, and have a low ability to pay. The government has issued Permendesa No. 6 of 2020, which provides fiscal instruments for disaster management, namely Dana Desa or Village Fund. Nonetheless, there is still a lack of understanding about Village Fund for disaster related uses. This policy brief provides three policy recommendations for the utilisation of financial risk transfer instruments and overall agricultural development. First, provisions of a social safety net for farmers through weather index-based insurance subsidised by Village Fund. Second, Development of a Social and Solidarity Supermarkets (“SSMs”) for Post-catastrophe Food Security. Lastly, establishment of an Agricultural Resilience Task Force (“ARTF”).

–