1 Integrated Community Based Risk Reduction: An Approach to Building Disaster Resilient Communities Shesh Kanta Kafle 1 Disaster Risk Reduction Delegate Canadian Red Cross, Indonesia Delegation Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Email: shesh.kafle@redcross.ca ABSTRACT Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) and Canadian Red Cross (CRC) have adopted an integrated approach to risk reduction at the community level. An integrated approach to reduce disaster risks includes the incorporation of all aspects of the disaster management cycle namely preparedness, response, recovery and prevention, deals with all hazards and multi-stakeholders and aims to integrating disaster risk reduction activities into local level development planning. After the devastating tsunami event of December 2004, CRC has been supporting PMI to install and strengthen its early warning system in all branches in Aceh Province and Nias Island. In order to make tsunami-affected people resilient to future disasters and create risk culture at the local level, CRC and PMI are implementing an ICBRR program in 43 villages of Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya and Nias. The key indicators for the disaster resilient community include the presence of well-trained volunteers, disaster risk reduction and contingency plan, community-based self-help organizations, volunteerism, risk assessment of the community, integration of needs and concerns of elderly into the community plan and provision of early warning system, and the involvement of local government in the disaster risk reduction initiatives. The outputs of the ICBRR Program were quite promising in this regard. The ICBRR program was aimed at increasing community resilience through enhancing disaster preparedness and response capacities of PMI. A close link between CBATs, local government and PMI Branch with the support from Chapter is necessary for sustaining the outcomes of the program. This article provides a glimpse of the ICBRR approach and key achievements, and delves more deeply into the analysis of program achievements with respect to the characteristics of disaster resilient communities. Key words: ICBRR, Community Resilient, Indicators, Indonesian Red Cross Society, Canadian Red Cross, I. BACKGROUND Community-based risk reduction is a process in which at-risk communities actively engage in the assessment, implementation of risk reduction measures, and monitoring and evaluation of disaster risks in order to reduce their vulnerabilities and enhance their capacities. This means that people are at the heart of decision-making. The involvement of the most vulnerable 1 Present mailing address: Disaster Risk Reduction Delegate (Sri Lanka and India), Canadian Red Cross, No. 17, Bullers Lane, Colombo-07, Sri Lanka; Email: shesh.kafle@redcross.ca