Jakarta, 1 February 2019 – On behalf of the people of Brunei Darussalam, H.E. Dato Yussof bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to Indonesia, officially handed over cash donation of B$272,000 or equivalent to US$202,469.27 to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre). The donated contribution will support ASEAN’s collective effort in building the ASEAN Resilient Village in disaster-affected areas in Central Sulawesi, following powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit the province in late September 2018.
During the handover of the cash donation on Friday, 1 February 2019 at the AHA Centre, H.E. Dato Yussof bin Haji Abdul Rahman, highlighted that while the fundraising was facilitated by the Government of Brunei Darussalam, the cash donation collectively came from the individual contributions of the people of Brunei Darussalam and that the fund-raising effort still continues. The cash donation from the people of Brunei Darussalam demonstrates the strong solidarity of the people of Brunei Darussalam to the people affected by earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi.
When receiving the cash donation on behalf of the AHA Centre, Ms. Adelina Kamal, Executive Director of the AHA Centre, stressed that the cash donation is “Amanah” or trust bestowed by the people of Brunei Darussalam to the AHA Centre. Therefore, the Centre is committed to ensure that the cash donation will be utilised effectively and will directly benefit the communities affected by earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi. The donation will complement USD300,000 cash contribution that has been provided by the Government of the Philippines earlier through the AHA Centre. Collectively, these contributions will be channelled to build ASEAN Resilient Village by constructing resilient temporary and permanent houses for some affected areas in Central Sulawesi. The ceremony was witnessed by H.E. Dato’ Lim Jock Hoi, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and Mr. Dicky Fabrian, representing Indonesia’s Disaster Management Authority or “Badan Penangggulan Bencana Nasional” (BNPB) of Indonesia.
The triple disasters in Central Sulawesi on 28 September 2018 led the AHA Centre to engage in one of the most complex and extensive emergency responses since it was established seven years ago. In line with the spirit of One ASEAN One Response, the AHA Centre facilitated the mobilisation of ASEAN relief items, the deployment of ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team, information management, logistic management, as well as coordination and registration of international assistance.
