“We Must Be the Pioneers”: Perspectives on localization in the response to the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake in Indonesia

On September 28, 2018, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Central Sulawesi in Indonesia, triggering a tsunami and liquefaction of land, which resulted in significant loss of life and displacement. The response to this disaster was notable because of a policy shift by the Government of Indonesia, which prohibited direct intervention by international aid agencies. All interventions were required to be carried out through Indonesian institutions and in coordination with the relevant Indonesian authorities. 

This report explores how the experience of humanitarian responders and affected communities in the aftermath of the earthquake in Sulawesi can help us to affirm or counter some of the primary assumptions underpinning the discussion of the localization agenda.