Basic HTML Version
8
Snapshot 86
SIDS conference showcases Pacific strategy on climate and
disaster resilient development
Support for Republic of Marshall Islands Joint National Action
Plan (JNAP)
Regional efforts on integrating climate change and
disaster risk management were featured at the side
event, Building Pacific Resilience – the Strategy for
Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the
Pacific, held during the Third International Conference
on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Samoa.
The Government of Tonga led the event with support
from SPC, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
Environment Programme (SPREP) and the United
Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
Discussions around resilient development for
Pacific Island nations highlighted how countries
and organisations have advanced or are planning
the integration of strategies for climate change and
disasters.
In his keynote address, the Prime Minister of Tonga,
Lord Tu'ivakano said, ‘the Strategy for Climate and
Disaster Resilient Development in thePacific highlights
the importance of partnerships and this is certainly
what this SIDS meeting is all about. A new mechanism
to bring together climate change and disaster risk
management practitioners at the regional level is
being advocated’.
The new regional coordinating mechanism, the Pacific
ResiliencePartnership,willoverseetheimplementation
of the regional strategy. It will build on existing
structures and partnerships, such as the Technical
Working Group established for the development of
the strategy, which has been highlighted at the SIDS
Conference as a positive example of collaboration
between various organisations and development
partners in the region.
The event also highlighted the need for all
stakeholders to recommit to addressing the impacts
of climate change and disasters in the Pacific region,
and reaffirmed that assistance for implementation of
the strategy will require considerable and ongoing
support from the international community.
The session was moderated by MargaretaWahlström,
United Nations Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. The
discussion panel included the Hon. Faamoetauloa
Ulaitino Faale Tumaalii, Samoa’s Minister of Natural
Resources and Environment; Mr Jacob Werksman,
Principal Adviser for DG CLIMA European Union; Mrs
Emele Duituturaga, Executive Director for the Pacific
Islands Alliance of NGOs; and Mr Howard Politini, Vice
Chair of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation.
Prime Minister of Tonga, Lord Tu'ivakano
SPC North Pacific Regional Office Director, Mr. Gerald
Zackios and Chief Secretary Mr Casten Nemra signed
a Letter of Agreement which allows the European
Union funded Building Safety and Resilience in the
Pacific (BSRP) project to fund a coordinator for the
implementation of the Joint National Action Plan
on Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change
Adaptation (JNAP).
The JNAP development was supported by regional
organisations such as SPC and SPREP. It was adopted
by Cabinet in early 2014 and is an effort to collectively
plan to mitigate and, wherever possible, prevent risks
posed by hazards and adapt to a changing climate.
Mr Nemra stated ’the funding will enable the
Government of the Republic of Marshall Islands
to effectively coordinate the implementation of
the actions in the JNAP and assist in reducing
vulnerabilities and enhancing resilience’.
The impacts of the changing climate to the Marshall
Islands cannot be ignored as exemplified in the 2013
drought and storm surges and inundation which
brought many lessons for improving coordination
and collaborative approaches to risk management.
Storm surges and inundation occurred again in 2014
causing damage to dwelling houses and rain water
catchments in low lying atolls like Arno.