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| Environment: International Assistance |
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After the fires in 1997, Indonesia received extensive assistance from the international community. In September 1997,
the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) was sent to Indonesia to assess the fire situation
and to identify the needs for international assistance. International assistance began the following year.
In response to the fires in 1998, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Office for the Coordination for
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) jointly managed plans to enhance Indonesia's fire fighting capacity. The plans included the
provision of fire fighting packages and other specialized equipment, training, expertise, special aircraft support and
communication tools. In addition, other UN agencies, including UNDP, FAO, WMO, WHO and UNESCO provided assistance.
Since 1997 FAO has helped the Indonesian government develop the National Fire Protection Policy and build the institutional
capacity of the Ministry of Forestry. During the 1997 fires, UNICEF handed out facemasks, while WMO worked on solving smoke
and haze problems.
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