Indonesia National Consultation Report

Our Indonesia national consultation report highlights the country’s priorities and provides insights into how the humanitarian research and innovation (HRI) ecosystem functions in the country. This report focuses on developing culturally and contextually appropriate responses to Indonesia's unique challenges, including frequent natural disasters, socioeconomic disparities, and impacts of climate change.

Indonesia faces unique humanitarian challenges due to its geographical location, frequent natural disasters, and diverse population. These issues are compounded by socioeconomic disparities, political complexities, and the ongoing impacts of climate change. The need for effective humanitarian responses is critical, and this report highlights the role of research and innovation (R&;I) in addressing these pressing concerns.

Our findings emphasis the importance of integrating R&;I throughout the humanitarian process to anticipate crises, inform policymaking, improve communication, and enhance the overall effectiveness of humanitarian actions.

Key findings:

• Role of R&;I in Humanitarian Crises: research and innovation are crucial throughout all phases of disaster management, R&;I helps predict events, inform policies, support data preparedness, and improve humanitarian action. However, the chaotic nature of emergencies often limits in-depth research.
• Challenges: Key barriers include limited data availability, funding constraints, lack of integrated systems, and collaboration challenges. Outdated findings due to proacted timelines hinder effectiveness of R&;I.
• Stakeholder Engagement: While national stakeholders are crucial, their involvement is often limited to fieldwork rather than influencing research direction. Barriers include limited expertise, lack of a national framework, and inadequate funding. Despite this, some stakeholders engage at regional and global levels.

Recommendations:

• Address R&;I Gaps: Develop a national research agenda and framework to prioritise key R&;I topics. Conduct inclusive priority-setting exercises to validate findings.
• Strengthen Data Systems: Create a national integrated database to ensure data is up-to-date, available, and accessible during crises.
• Promote Equitable Partnerships: Encourage partnerships where national actors play leadership roles, not just field implementation.
• Build R&;I Workforce Capacity: Implement training programmes to enhance research skills and regularly assess training needs.
• Improve Collaboration: Develop platforms to enhance coordination and reduce duplication of efforts.
• Increase Funding: Advocate for more funding to support priority topics and emerging issues. Consider cost-sharing models to promote collaboration.
• Adopt Anticipatory R&;I: Implement proactive R&;I financing to enable rapid response to sudden emergencies.

This consultation has revealed critical insights into Indonesia's humanitarian R&;I ecosystem. Strengthening systems, enhancing collaboration, and aligning R&;I priorities with urgent needs are essential for effective humanitarian responses.

This Indonesia consultation was undertaken by the Indika Foundation and the Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin University, and was led by Marian Abouzeid and Aurelia Deviane. Data collection was undertaken by Aurelia Deviane and Muhammad Adiz Wasisto, data transcription and translation were undertaken by Aurelia Deviane, Ken Pradipta, and Daniel Pranajaya, data analysis was undertaken by Yaseen Ayobi, Marian Abouzeid, Chaza Akik and Helen Seignior, with contributions to preliminary data analysis from Athar Safaei.

[.slimline-cta-box][.slimline-cta_heading]What is the Global Prioritisation Exercise?[.slimline-cta_heading][.slimline-cta_paragraph]The Global Prioritisation Exercise (GPE) for humanitarian research and innovation aims to improve outcomes for people affected by crisis by amplifying the impact of investments in research and innovation and understanding the priorities at all levels. It will provide a detailed overview of the progress and performance of the humanitarian research and innovation ecosystem with a clear set of priorities for research and innovation funding and attention.

Find out more about the GPE[.slimline-cta_paragraph][.slimline-cta-box]