Is there a way to challenge gender inequalities while simultaneously strengthening business and community resilience to disasters? Women business leaders in Indonesia are demonstrating that such a strategy might be the only way forward.
Earlier this month, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kamar Dagang dan Industri Indonesia, or KADIN), a Connecting Business initiative Member Network, convened a workshop on “The Role of Women in Disaster Risk Reduction, Business Sustainability and Community Resilience.” The workshop encouraged the integration of women and women business owners in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and emergency preparedness through capacity building and education.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the Indonesian economy, Camelia Hartoto, KADIN’s Coordinator on Human Quality Improvement, Research and Technology and Innovation, highlighted that 64.5% of them are women-led.
With such enterprises being the most susceptible to the impacts of disasters, and COVID-19 revealing their lack of capacity to deal with crises, business continuity and disaster management planning must be a priority for stronger recovery.
“If we are going to build more resilient communities,” said Ms. Hartoto, “then we need to educate the business community, particularly MSMEs and women.” She argued that the private sector’s involvement in this area brings the necessary additional resources and capacity building opportunities to educate on the importance of having a gendered lens in DRR and management.
Ms. Suryani Motik, Vice Chairperson of KADIN’s Division of Social and Disaster Management, claimed that “if the educated are women and entrepreneurs who are active in community organizations, then the trickle-down effect will be multiplied.” She equated educating women to educating a generation.
Involvement of women in disaster management is crucial
Women are disproportionately affected by disasters due to existing gender inequalities present in society that lead to resource and structural constraints. These hinder a woman’s access to the information and necessary resources that would allow for proper preparation, response and recovery from crises for her, and her family, ranging from access to early warning systems to find shelter to bank accounts to protect savings.
Further, in low and middle-income countries, the agricultural sector represents the most important industry for female employment, while also being the hardest hit by climate change and crises. These economic losses for women are compounded by the increased familial responsibilities disasters bring, limiting their ability to remain employed or generate income.
Due to women often facing the disproportionate consequences from disasters, their perspective and integration in preparedness becomes ever more crucial. Involving women in disaster risk reduction, along with their strong informal networks, leads to better identification of the most vulnerable and the services they need for assistance, strengthened early warning systems and a more resilient economy.
KADIN, joined the UNDP-OCHA Connecting Business Initiative as a Member Network in December 2021. With the support from CBi, KADIN will continue to reduce disaster risks in Indonesia, improve business resilience and mitigate the impacts of increasingly frequent natural hazards. This includes plans to assist MSMEs with developing business continuity plans to be better prepared for future disasters.
At the Connecting Business initiative (CBi), a joint programme by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), we work with business networks to mobilize businesses of all sizes to support humanitarian response in some of the world’s most disaster-prone countries and regions, and to improve communities’ resilience to climate change. If you’re interested in finding out more, you can sign up for our mailing list here or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.