Indonesia is planning to impose a one-year state of emergency in its devastated Aceh province, followed by a four-year recovery plan.
The move will initially focus on people's immediate needs - food, clothing and temporary shelter - but then switch to rebuilding infrastructure.
But charities said yesterday that the reconstruction effort - which will be highlighted at the Jakarta summit scheduled for Thursday - could miss an opportunity to bring permanent prosperity to the population.
Ambitious plans for a tsunami warning system and an appeal for more funds by the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, are expected to dominate the meeting, but Oxfam called for a clear reconstruction plan yesterday that would reduce poverty.
"The affected governments and donors face a choice," said Mr Ed Cairns, Oxfam's senior policy adviser. "Are they simply going to rebuild the poverty that blighted so many of these communities, and made them more vulnerable to the tsunami? Or will the reconstruction aim to reduce poverty and future vulner-ability?" He called on the affected governments and donors to commit themselves to "reconstruction plus", aimed at reducing poverty and protecting the environment.
Indonesia's plan follows a classic strategy, but such plans have a habit of going awry, and not just because donors eventually lose interest or forget to post their cheques. Key areas for attention in the Aceh reconstruction effort will be:
Housing: In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, survivors need temporary shelter. The question is: how temporary? Tents and tarpaulins are quick and cheap but if reconstruction is likely to take several years something more substantial is needed.
There are plenty of inexpensive alternatives such as the Global Village Shelter, a flat-pack hut made from cardboard-type material which is water and fire resistant and costs $400. Simple permanent homes can be built for less than $2,000, according to Architecture for Humanity.
Relocation: Following the Bam earthquake in Iran a year ago, the authorities wanted to rebuild the city in an orderly way according to a "master plan". In the meantime, they wanted people to live in temporary camps but many were reluctant to go. In the tsunami-hit countries there is already talk of rebuilding homes in safer places but this is likely to meet resistance.
Education: More than 60 million children around the world are not going to school because of conflicts or disasters. Restarting the education system, even in a rudimentary fashion, gets children back into a daily routine and helps them cope with the trauma, according to Ms Susan Nicolai, an adviser for Save the Children.
Health: Even after the initial risk of epidemics has been dealt with, health services face a long period of heavy demand at a time when they are trying to rebuild their own facilities.