Ready For The World SAR Mission, Basarnas Expects INASAR To Be Internationally Certified

JAKARTA - Head of Basarnas Mohammad Syafi'i emphasized the importance of maintaining international certification for the Indonesia Search and Rescue (INASAR) Team.

According to him, this is a form of legitimacy for Indonesia to be active in rescue and humanitarian missions abroad.

"This certification from the United Nations through the INSARG/International Search and Rescue Advisory Group is not just an acknowledgment, but also an absolute requirement so that Indonesia can be officially involved in international operations," he said when met, Tuesday, May 20, was confiscated by Antara.

INASAR has held an international medium class certification from INSARG since 2019, whose validity period is five years or ending in 2024. But he admits that Indonesia has received an extension of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so that the certification status is still valid until 2026.

Without this certification, he continued, Indonesia's involvement in global SAR operations was limited to evacuating Indonesian citizens. Meanwhile, to participate in the search and rescue of foreign victims, it must meet UN standards.

"This is what distinguishes us from whether we can appear as part of global humanitarian diplomacy or not," he said.

The three-star officer of the Indonesian Air Force said that Indonesia's SAR in terms of capabilities is already on par with other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, but maintaining a reputation through international certification for INASAR is a long-term strategic step.

He also hopes that Basarnas will get proportional budget support, so that it can invite an international assessment team for the certification assessment process, while improving the quality of national human resources and SAR logistics.

"So that Indonesia remains an active player in the Asia Pacific region in humanitarian matters," said Syafi