WB PROVIDES 257 BILLION KIP LOAN TO REDUCE DISASTER RISKS

Posted by AsiaViews | May 10, 2018 | 0 |

LAOS

Vientiane Times-May 4

The World Bank recently provided a loan of more than 257 billion kip (US$31million) to Laos for implementing the Lao PDR Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Management Project.
The five-year project will be initially launched in the model provinces of Phongsaly, Oudomxay and Luang Prabang which have been badly affected by natural disasters in recent years, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Dr Khamlien Pholsena, speaking at a workshop yesterday, said the main works of the project included embankment construction to reduce the risk from floods in Xay district, Oudomxay province which will be carried out by Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

Authorities will improve early warning and meteorology systems as well as preparedness to prevent disasters in the three provinces of Phongsaly, Oudomxay and Luang Prabang, which will be implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment is also stepping up efforts to disseminate information about reducing the risk of natural disasters which in turn boosts socio-economic development, he added.
Meanwhile, World Bank representative to Laos, Ms Daryl Fields said natural disasters had a multitude of effects on residents, farms as well as the environment and social development. This project was very useful to Laos as it would help prevent flooding and reduce risks to farmers as well as prevent local people’s lives being affected by disasters. “The World Bank is very proud to help Laos in reducing the risk from disasters and thousands of people will receive assistance from this project, especially the useful early warning and meteorology systems,” she added.
According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Laos is prone to natural disasters, such as in August last year when floods and land-slides affected the country’s northern provinces such as Oudomxay. The natural disaster damaged local residents’ houses, infrastructure including roads and electricity supplies, and claimed one life with damages amounting to more than 24 billion kip.

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

WB PROVIDES 257 BILLION KIP LOAN TO REDUCE DISASTER RISKS

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