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World Bank’s Policy & Practice Note
for Climate and Disaster Resilient
Development, 3
rd
– 4
th
June 2012
The World Bank, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment
Programme co-hosted a High Level Dialogue on Climate and Disaster Resilient Development at the Holiday Inn
in Suva, Fiji on 4
th
and 5
th
June 2012.
The regional meeting included the participation of senior representatives from Pacific Island countries, regional
organizations, donors and development partners and used the recently completed ‘Pacific Regional Policy and
Practice Note on Climate and Disaster Resilient Development (PPN)’ commissioned by the World Bank and
GFDRR with the theme “Acting Today for Tomorrow” as the basis for the dialogue.
The PPN contains current practice, guidance and lessons learned from the implementation of climate change
adaptation and disaster risk reduction initiatives in the region. It is based upon extensive consultations with
Pacific Island countries and territories and, donor and regional organization partners and has been subjected
to rigorous technical and high-level policy peer review as well as the internal review and decision processes of
the World Bank.
The overall objective of the meeting was to bring together relevant stakeholders and actors to discuss the
potential utility of the PPN and its key messages as a catalyst for both organizational as well as collective
efforts to progress the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, as well as to
discuss opportunities and options for how countries and partners can focus future efforts to achieve climate
and disaster resilient development in the Pacific at local, national and regional levels.
The meeting was attended on the first day by chief executives of the Council of Regional Organisations of the
Pacific (CROP) with each delivering key messages in support of the PPN. The Director General of the SPC, Dr.
Jimmie Rodgers stated: “We believe the PPN is a timely and significant contribution to our ongoing efforts to
better understand and reduce the vulnerability and risks facing our island countries. Importantly it advocates
for change and improvement in how we do business in the whole disaster and climate risk realm”.
SPC (SOPAC), SPREP and UNISDR have agreed to use the PPN as an important reference in the ongoing
development of an integrated regional strategy for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change which is
targeted for completion and submission to Pacific Leaders by 2015.