Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs and the SME Center of the University of Indonesia organized a seminar to build micro, small and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs’) awareness of natural disasters in Indonesia.

Belonging under ADPC’s iPrepare Business facility and its regional project to strengthen SMEs’ disaster resilience in Asia, the seminar was organized at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. As part of the SME Center’s monthly series, the seminar was the first to focus on businesses’ resilience to natural disasters and was attended by more than one hundred MSMEs from different fields including auto-mechanics, handicraft, retail, services and the food sector.

Entrepreneurs share their experience on business resilience at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

Indonesia belongs among the most disaster-prone countries in Asia, being at risk of volcano eruptions, floods, hurricanes and landslides as well as fires, terrorism and epidemics. Over 99 percent of businesses in Indonesia are MSMEs, the majority of which are micro enterprises – the most vulnerable to disruptive events due to their limited coping capacity. One entrepreneur was invited to talk about her experiences after the Merapi Volcano Eruption in Yogykarta in October 2010: In the aftermath of the disaster, she had been able to overcome economic challenges by establishing a new business selling jute handicraft.

ADPC is conducting a comprehensive survey to better understand the specific needs of MSMEs in building disaster resilience in Indonesia. The results will be used to design customized training activities on business resilience for Indonesian government agencies and other stakeholders supporting enterprises in preparing for disasters as well as MSMEs themselves. The results will also feed into the formulation of an SME resilience roadmap in the country.

ADPC's seminar on disaster preparedness was attended by more than one hundred micro, small and medium enterprises from different fields.

Source: Badan Pusat Statistik 2013