Zero Conference 2018 for a World without Barriers

As an economic analyst at Regional Development Board in Aceh, I think it is very important for me to build cooperation with local organizations in order to understand the real need of local people, the result obtained will be used for a consideration in arranging development strategy in Aceh, therefore people have the opportunities to actively participate in shaping the development programs that are supposed benefit them and the implemented policy will be more decentralized.

My involvement in Natural Aceh starts when my cousin introduce me to the works that they have done, I am interested because I think these people really do a good job in engaging with local people, they try to improve equal access for men and women, for people with disabilities and for children. And what interest me the most is when other young people in Indonesia are busy on being "selebgram" (celebrity on Instagram, that's what they call it) these young people in the organization are busy attending international conference and workshops, doing research, organizing social activity related to climate change. Deep in my heart, I'm very glad that there are still young people, even only in small number, who still care and pay attention to society.

A month ago.. or exactly on 21 Feb - 23 Feb 2018, I attended Zero Conference 2018 as a representative of the FKM-BKA (a communication forum of people with special need under coordination of Natural Aceh) to receive an award as innovative practice for our project of Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction in Aceh (financed by Disability Rights Fund), we held this project for people with disabilities considering that Aceh is a disaster prone zone, and generally disable people are more vulnerable to disasters. However, disable people are often excluded from registration system and not involved in disaster response activities, this condition is compounded by the lack of awareness and attention of the governmnet and the stakeholders. Finally FKM-BKA initiated to organize inclusive disaster risk reduction simulation with the focus of ensuring persons with disabilities to actively involve in all stages of the disaster risk reduction process. Furthermore, from 2015 until October 2017, three disaster evacuation simulations for tsunami, earthquake, and volcanic eruption were organized and 81 facilities in Aceh have been tested for the feasibility to provide accessible shelters in an emergency.

The organization (FKM-BKA) received an award for the implementation of innovative practice by Essl Foundation (Zero Project) and was invited to attend Zero Project Conference 2018 at United Nation Office in Vienna to present the project and discuss the possible cooperation with other participants. The conference gives me the new insight how advance the policy and strategy implementation in the fulfillment of the equal human rights in other countries and how the policy and regulation has the capability to shape the trend in private companies that they start to make their products and services become more accessible for people with disabilities. This information will be used for proposing the long-term strategy in poverty eradication in the segment of disable people empowerment.

And I hope, one day, we can create an equal society and a world without barriers.