Charting the New Norm: Local Leadership in the First 100 Days of the Sulawesi Earthquake Response

Humanitarian response to the 7.4 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami that devastated the coastal township of Palu, Indonesia on 28 September 2019, charted a new norm. The government of Indonesia acted quickly to restrict international aid and emphasise the role of national and local actors in the emergency response and early recovery phase. This led to creative changes to the Asia-Pacific’s traditional approach to humanitarian relief in the aftermath of disaster.

Does the Sulawesi response bring us closer to the new and improved way of delivering humanitarian assistance as committed in 2016 World Humanitarian Summit? To answer, we examine how this response differs from previous ones, and how different actors adapted to this change.

The Sulawesi earthquake humanitarian response demonstrates how localisation of humanitarian aid is becoming an inevitable emerging new norm in the Asia-Pacific region.