Senior government staff from Khammouane province of Lao PDR visited Indonesia in December in order to learn about the country’s post-disaster reconstruction efforts.

Hosted by the focal government agency for disaster management in Indonesia, Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), the Lao delegation was led by the Vice-Governor of Khammouane, Mr. Somchay Phetsinouane.

“Sharing the very important information and experiences on post-disaster reconstruction activities is very useful and helpful for Khammouane province,” he said during the visit.

Organized by Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, the on-site learning visit was conducted as part of the project called Institutional and Capacity Building Support for Sub-National Post-Disaster Reconstruction Activities in Khammouane, Lao PDR, supported by the World Bank.

During the visit, the delegation met with Indonesian government officials responsible for post-disaster reconstruction at national, provincial, and district levels. The officials had the opportunity of learning about Indonesia’s approach to post-disaster reconstruction and recovery, and visit field sites such as Mount Merapi and flood zones in Yogyakarta. In order to enhance the Lao officials’ knowledge and skills, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center also conducted technical training on the key concepts of post-disaster reconstruction in the Khammouane context.

Through exposure to a disaster-affected country and learning from the counterpart agencies, the Lao delegation gained important insights for post-disaster reconstruction activities in Khammouane province.