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each other? Our initiative on "In the Neighborhood: The Growing Role of Regional Organizations in Disaster
Risk Management" sought to provide some insights into this mapping exercise. We organized a side event,
with support from the Australian Civil- Military Centre, to present the results of our study, "Roles of Pacific
Regional Organizations in Disaster Risk Management" by John Hay, University of South Pacific - Cook Islands.
I began by presenting a short overview of our earlier study on regional organizations, explaining that this
was background for two studies we had commissioned on regional bodies - in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Among other things, the study on the Caribbean, by Mark Kirton of the University of the West Indies, had
noted the overlapping membership of regional organizations in the Caribbean and called for institutional
consolidation of these efforts. John Hay then presented his study on Pacific regional organizations which
underscored the different capacities of these bodies in different aspects of disaster risk management. While
Pacific organizations got high marks for their work in disaster risk reduction, their capacity to respond to
disasters was much lower. Comments and reactions to the study were offered by representatives from the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs- Regional Office
for the Pacific, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Management Agency, and the University of the West Indies.
Discussion at this session, and indeed throughout the meeting, was animated.
Would climate change
funding become available to support disaster risk reduction activities? Would donor behavior be able to
change to support this merger? What role do regional organizations play vis -à -vis international aid agencies?
Representatives from the Caribbean pointed out similarities and differences between their region and the
Pacific. Two representatives from African sub -regional organizations pointed out that in their organizations all
of the funding for disaster risk reduction came from foreign sources, raising questions about whether this was
a priority for African member states.
What is happening in the Pacific to bring together these networks is hard work. It's probably more difficult
to deal with power dynamics and institutional interests than with the substantive tasks of developing joint
programs. But just as the effects of climate change are being felt first in the Pacific, perhaps the Pacific is also
leading the way in dealing with the administrative and political obstacles that prevent a more holistic approach
to these issues. It's too early to tell whether these attempts will be successful, but it was a privilege to watch
a small part of the process.