After-Action Review of the WFP Indonesia response to 2018 natural disasters

2019
WFP, Indonesia

In January 2019, a small Mokoro team led by Adam Leach conducted an After-Action Review (AAR) of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) response to the earthquake and tsunami that affected Palu and Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in late 2018. The purpose of the AAR was to enable organisational learning for WFP by examining good practice, achievements, challenges, and strategic issues that arose during its support to the government-led response to the disaster.

On 28 September 2018, Palu and Central Sulawesi were hit by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami, followed by liquefaction at several sites, landslides and tremors that persisted for several months. Though the emergency response was led by the Indonesian Government, WFP was instrumental in providing operational support for logistics and common services over a three-month period.

The AAR process involved a review of documentation, a preliminary online survey with WFP staff, and a visit by Adam Leach and Elshinta Marsden to Bali, where they conducted 25 stakeholder interviews and facilitated a learning workshop for 48 participants over two days. Drawing upon this internal reflection, the team produced a report identifying key recommendations to improve WFP’s performance in disaster response, as well as to inform general WFP engagement in Indonesia.

 

Photo credit: © European Union 2018, published under a Creative Commons license.  Original photograph available on Flickr.

Sulawesi post-tsunami wreckage

The people behind the project

Project leader: Adam Leach

Principal Consultant and Director

Liam Bluer, Elshinta Suyoso-Marsden, George Fenton,