Mataram University once again held an international event by holding a seminar entitled “Enhancing Community Resilience to Disaster” on March 2, 2022. This event is an effort to strengthen the role of academics, researchers, and practitioners in deepening insight and creating cross-country collaboration in facing global challenges related to community resilience to natural disasters.

This international seminar was organized by the Development Economics Study Program of the University of Mataram, and was attended by participants from various backgrounds, both from within the country and abroad. Not only students, this event also attracted the interest of academics, practitioners, and international organizations involved in disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. With a theme that is very relevant in this modern era, this seminar highlighted the importance of building community resilience to natural disasters that are increasingly occurring in various parts of the world.

The seminar presented three keynote speakers who are highly competent and have great influence in the study of development economics and disasters at the international level. The first speaker, Prof. Budy Resosudarmo, Ph.D., a development economist from The Australian National University (ANU), opened the seminar session with an explanation of how economics can play an important role in strengthening community resilience to disasters. Prof. Budy emphasized the need for an economic-based approach in disaster mitigation policy planning that can ensure sustainable development in disaster-prone countries.

The second speaker, Dr. Saiful Mahdi, M.Sc. from Syiah Kuala University, raised the topic of policies and strategies that need to be implemented by the government and society to reduce disaster risks, as well as the importance of cooperation between countries in Southeast Asia in collectively addressing disaster issues. Through his experience in public policy, Dr. Saiful explained the importance of synergy between government policies and community participation in building disaster resilience.

As the third speaker, Diswandi, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., a lecturer from the University of Mataram, also provided a local perspective that was very relevant to the situation in Indonesia. In his presentation, Diswandi raised the challenges and solutions faced by the Indonesian people, especially in areas that are often affected by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. He also invited participants to think creatively in facing these challenges through collaboration between the education sector, government, and society.

This event is not just an ordinary seminar, but also reflects the real efforts of Mataram University in realizing its internationalization vision. By presenting speakers from renowned universities such as ANU and Syiah Kuala University, this seminar succeeded in creating a very productive cross-country discussion space. The discussion and knowledge sharing in this seminar encouraged the creation of relationships and cooperation between Indonesian academics and the international world which is expected to have a positive impact on strengthening community resilience in the future.

In addition, the event was also attended by representatives from various international universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in disaster mitigation. The presence of participants from abroad provides an opportunity to share experiences and discuss global solutions that can be applied in various countries. This strengthens the position of the University of Mataram as an educational institution that not only focuses on local education, but also has a great commitment to global issues.

This seminar was held with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of community resilience to disasters, especially in countries prone to natural disasters. The theme "Enhancing Community Resilience to Disaster" is very relevant considering that climate change is increasingly affecting the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in various parts of the world. Therefore, this seminar aims to provide new insights to participants on how economics, policy, and international collaboration can be effective tools in strengthening community resilience.

Through this event, Mataram University hopes to expand its international network and strengthen the role of Indonesian academics and researchers in the global conversation on climate change and disaster risk reduction. On the other hand, this seminar also opens up opportunities for students and academics to engage in broader collaborative research, and encourage better implementation of evidence-based policies at the local, national, and international levels.

With the end of this seminar, it is hoped that a stronger understanding will be created about the importance of global collaboration to strengthen community resilience to disasters, as well as strengthen relations between universities in Indonesia and the international world in facing this global challenge.