Updated 2 June 2014, 10:54 AEST
“This is the first time the Pacific has developed a singular voice that can influence the global framework for disaster risk reduction.
The words of Mosese Sikivou, the Deputy Director of Secretariat of the Pacific Community Disaster Reduction Programme, referring to the Pacific Platform for Disaster Management.”
Pacific leaders have gathered for a two day meeting in Suva to endorse a strategy which Mr Sikivou says will then be presented at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan next March.
Presenter: Richard Ewart
Speaker: Mosese Sikivou, Deputy Director of Secretariat of the Pacific Community Disaster Reduction Programme
SIKIVOU: The Pacific is leading the world in developing this regional strategy in terms of integration of climate change and disastrous management. It was a single policy frramework.
EWART: Just to stress that point, what this gathering is all about is progressing this policy of linking the threat posed by natural disaster and also by climate change. The two are being interlinked as far as possible right across the Pacific?
SIKIVOU: Correct. Thirteen of the 14 Pacific Island countries in the region over the course of the last four, five years really have made commitment in some shape or form in terms of policy, in terms of legislation, to bring together their efforts in climate change and disastrous management. For example, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Congress there approved a new policy to guide activity at a state level on climate change and disastrous management in an integrated way. Cook Islands and Tonga were some of the first countries off the ranks with strategic action plans. Vanuatu has actually developed a new governance mechanism for climate change and disastrous management. So the countries actually took the lead with this initiative. So what we’re doing at a regional level is to create this policy environment that will better support that work moving forward into the future…
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