From the Managers Desk

We’re back! The Disaster Reduction Programme of the Applied Geoscience & Technology Division (new name for SOPAC) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community opened its doors for business on 4th January 2011. We’re busy…already!

A famous English proverb says: “Act only today for tomorrow is too late”. This couldn’t more appropriately capture the sense of urgency that permeates the air.

Over the course of 2011 we hope to be able to make progress in relation to Disaster Risk Managament (DRM) National Action Plans or Mainstreaming programmes in all 14 Pacific ACP states. We also gear up for the 2011 sessions of the Pacific Platform for DRM and the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and are also excited by the prospect of completing the regional and national risk exposure databases; an initiative that commenced two years ago and that we have been working on with partners such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences New Zealand, Pacific Disaster Center and AIR Worldwide.

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Our efforts with the Pacific Disaster Net will get a boost this year with a redesign project which will improve the user friendliness of the web portal and as well a Strategic Plan to guide its development for the future. We will also continue with the implementation of the EU EDF 9 B and C Envelope projects which support vulnerability reduction in 8 Pacific ACP states and 4 Pacific territories respectively.

In terms of securing the resources to support these kinds of initiatives (and more) we are presently engaged in discussions with the World Bank and as well the European Union and the ACP Secretariat on two separate envelopes of funding that will contribute to the strengthening of DRM capacity at regional and national level within the next few years. We also look to the ongoing support from our major Pacific donors – Australia and New Zealand.

So lot’s and lots to do. In this issue however we provide coverage of the activities that we undertook towards the end of last year. There is an interesting piece on mainstreaming at the national level in Vanuatu that we commenced in December in connection with the implementation of the Vanuatu DRR & DM National Action Plan. In addition, we present some of the outcomes of the meetings around the Asia-Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction Project Portal held in Bangkok last December. We also discuss the review of the existing disaster plan and legislation for Tuvalu. The EU funded B- Envelope Project Update talks about the construction of a new National Emergency Operation Centre for the Federated States of Micronesia.

We announce a workshop on Economic Impact of Disasters in the Pacific to be held in Vanuatu next month. And last but not least TAF/ OFDA provides a snapshot on the recently conducted Disaster Management Training in Samoa.

I hope you enjoy reading this first edition for 2011 and wish all of you the very best for a fruitful and productive year.

Mosese Sikivou