Dear Readers,

The disasters affecting various parts of Indonesia are a timely reminder of the importance of strengthening the country’s resilience in the face of increasingly complex risks. Forest and land fires, along with volcanic eruptions across the country, underscore the need to continue improving disaster preparedness and response.

In this edition of the Nawala SMERU, I recommend a policy brief that draws lessons from Indonesia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes three strategies for building a more adaptive disaster management system. We also feature research on the opportunities and challenges women face in East Kalimantan’s green economic transition, as well as an assessment tool that we developed, CERMAT, to measure and monitor students’ reading and mathematics skills.

In recognition of National Farmers’ Day on 24 September, we have also prepared a content highlighting farmers’ vulnerability to climate change and the importance of strengthening social protection so they can better manage risks and sustain their livelihoods.

SMERU Learning Centre will also hold its training on Introduction to Impact Evaluation on 14–15 October. If you would like to deepen your understanding of impact evaluation, we invite you to register and join us.

Happy reading and we look forward to hearing your feedback at comms[at]smeru.or.id.

Widjajanti Isdijoso
Director, The SMERU Research Institute