Indonesia to raise issue of natural disasters at IMF-WB meeting

Jakarta, (Antaranews Bali) - Beset by two devastating earthquakes and tsunami in less than two months, ahead of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), host Indonesia will raise the issue of natural disasters at the meeting to take place in Nusa Dua, Bali on Oct 8-14.

Still busy seeking to recover Lombok from devastation by repeated major earthquakes in August this year, the country was rendered with a much bigger blow by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale and tsunami in Central Sulawesi.

In Lombok, the natural disaster caused a loss of around 550 lives, and in Palu, Donggala, and Sigi in Central Sulawesi, the death toll already reached 1,234 with 99 others still missing feared buried under the ruins of fallen buildings.

Indonesia, as a host country, though busy preparing the IMF-WB meeting, has to turn more of its attentions to the problem that need immediate handling in Central Sulawesi.

"We are aware that when we are holding the IMF-WB annual meeting we would be still busy coping with the impact of natural disasters in Lombok, Sumbawa, Papu and Donggala," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said here on Tuesday.

Therefore, issue of concern and recovery related to natural disasters would be one of the agenda at the meeting, Sri Mulyani said.

"It would be of interest not only for Indonesia but also for other countries often beset by natural disasters like Mexico, the Caribbean and other Pacific countries," she said.

She said one of the topics on Disaster Risk Management would be discussed both in the form of dialog or in financing initiative.

"In addition, coordination at the level of countries, or international support including instrument of insurance would be one of the agenda at the Annual Meeting," she went on to say.

She said the Indonesian government will make preparation to draw attentions on topic of not only of interest to Indonesia but also to the whole world at the big week long meeting.

At least 17,000 delegates of the IMF and Wold Bank, Finance Ministers and Central Bank leaders from 189 countries, parliamentarians, observers, and other invitees and journalists are expected to attend the meeting. (WDY)