SPC Geoscience Division

Home Reducing Vulnerability (EU-B)

Project: ACP-EU Disaster Risk Reduction in Eight Pacific ACP States

Sunday, 27 June 2010 16:25 administrator
E-mail Print PDF

Disaster Risk Reduction in Eight Pacific ACP States (2007-2013)

The Disaster Risk Reduction in Eight Pacific ACP States project was a Multi-Country project funded by the European Union under the 9th EDF with a budget totalling €9.26 million. The participating countries included the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. The project commenced on 1st October 2007 and was completed in 2013.

The overall objective of the project was poverty alleviation and sustainable development through disaster risk reduction.

The project's purpose was to build resilience in selected communities to reduce the risk to Pacific Island communities to disasters targeting two specific areas:

  • Access to Safe Drinking Water – The Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management identifies the vulnerability of water resources and water supply systems to climatic hazards and proposes approaches to mitigate against these risks. Low lying islands are vulnerable to climatic variability due to lack of natural ground water storage. In islands that have sufficient supply maintaining the quality of drinking water is important for rural communities. Measures for water sustainability, land use, sanitation, wastewater and solid waste disposal are important factors in determining appropriate solutions.
  • Emergency Communications and Emergency Operation Centres – The Regional Framework for Action 2005 – 2015 Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters, calls for planning for effective preparedness, response and recovery with key actions to establish functional emergency communications systems and emergency operations centres (EOC). The Framework calls for establishment of an effective, integrated and people-focused early warning system. In many of the participating countries early warning systems lack basic equipment, skills and resources. The weakest element is in the dissemination of warnings and the preparedness of the communities to respond.

This project is now complete.



Last Updated on Thursday, 05 February 2015 07:03  


Newsflash

The Pacific Regional Consultations on Water and Sanitation are being held at the Tanoa International Hotel, Monday 01-03 July 2013. Countries will be discussing how to progress action on the recent Statement by Pacific Heads of State and Heads of Delegations participating in the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 19-20 May, 2013.

Michael Pettersen, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC), says the Chiang Mai Statement highlights the concern of Pacific Leaders that the whole Pacific region is struggling to meet its Millennium Development Goals relating to water and sanitation.

“This Statement recognises that sustainable water supply and safe sanitation underpins the very feasibility of Pacific Island Countries. It is clear that national and international development goals are unlikely to be met without increased advocacy and financial support for water and sanitation, which will require renewed leadership and investment at the national, regional and international level,” he says.

Mr. Pettersen noted that efforts to improve water and sanitation in the Pacific region are not keeping up with the significant and growing impacts of population growth, urbanization, natural disasters and climate change.

“This weeks’ consultation meeting is designed to help Pacific Island Countries support the development of a revised framework for Water and Sanitation for the region building on work already established through the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management which has been in place for the last ten years.