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Pacific Island countries lead the world
on
intecration of disaster risk manacement
and climate chance adaptation
Michael Petterson, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Applied Geoscience and
Technology Division, says the joint meeting demonstrates the fact that the region is now leading on the
integration of disaster risk management and climate change adaptation efforts.
'For several years our Disaster Reduction Programme has been working in close collaboration with regional
partners, such as the UNDP Pacific Centre and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme,
to help Pacific Island countries develop joint national action plans for disaster risk management and climate
change adaptation,' he explained.
Mr Petterson went on to say that joint national action plans (JNAPs) integrating climate change and disaster
risk management provide countries with a powerful planning tool to help them consider disaster and risk
across a range of ministries.
'At the end of the day, if your house falls down because of a climatic or another type of disaster, you don't
care initially about the cause - you just want help. Experts in climate change and disaster risk management are
seeking ways to work together to make the Pacifica safer place. TheJNAP offers a roadway for deciding priorities,
actions and partnerships, and several [country representatives] have shared their personal satisfaction with
how this tool is now supporting a whole raft of government thinking,' he commented.
Charles Carlson, Director of Emergency Management in Cook Islands, explained that disaster risk management
and climate change are now managed under the Office of the Prime Minister, reflecting the priority now
placed on disaster risk management and climate change in Cook Islands. Mr Carlson says the country is now
looking to develop joint legislation to cover all future climate change and disaster risk management activities.
'There is no template for developing this legislation, so we've got to create the template ourselves, and that's
what we are currently doing with the support from SPC's Disaster Reduction Programme,' he stated.
He says that the objectives of the JNAP are to ensure that the people of Cook Islands are prepared for disasters
and climate change impacts, and to reduce these impacts.
Mr Carlson went on to explain that 'The plan itself states that it is designed to provide a roadmap to achieve "a
resilient and sustainable Cook Islands where our people are resilient to disasters and climate change and able
to achieve sustainable livelihoods ".
He added that the recovery costs from the cyclones that hit Cook Islands in 2005 amounted to NZD 20 million.
Given the economically debilitating costs of natural disasters, Cook Islands is likely to gain substantial economic
benefits from investing in the implementation of the JNAP.
'I think it's a better approach because you're actually sharing resources, which is critical in small countries like
ours. By bringing climate change and disaster risk management together, our approach can be much more
focused and concentrated,' he says.
SPC '
CPS
SACIMAIIIAT OF TIN PACIFIC COMMUNITY