By
Makereta Komai, PACNEWS: http://www.pina.com.fj/index.php?p=pacnews&m=pacnews
9 July, 2013,
Nadi, Fiji - Cook Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu shared their experiences with
integration of climate change (CC) and disaster risk management (DRM) practices
at the High Level Dialogue session in Nadi today.
The dialogue
provided an opportunity for key decision makers from Pacific Island Countries
and Territories to discuss benefits and challenges of adopting a joint CC and
DRM approach in their respective countries.
Moderated by
the head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk, Margareta Wahlstrom, discussions
focused on successful practical implementation of policies at the national
level.
Tonga’s
deputy Prime Minister, Samiu Vaipulu said his government has committed TOP$6
million for emergency purposes in times of natural disaster.
This is a
contingency fund that is used to immediately deal with any case of natural
disaster.
“However,
government is not Santa Claus. We are encouraging our communities to prepare
themselves and their families first before government help comes in.
“In Tonga, we
are encouraging government and community partnership. This is crucial in dealing
with climate change and disaster risk reduction, said Vaipulu.
The Tongan
Government has turned to private sector partnership to enhance its means of
communicating disaster warnings to the community.
“Some of our
key contact points in villages run out of credit on their mobile phones and have
difficulties contacting us during disasters. What we have done is worked out a
deal with Digicel in Tonga where in the event of an emergency, their numbers are
activated for the purposes of reporting the disaster, said Minister
Vaipulu.
In Vanuatu,
the government has mainstreamed climate change and disaster reduction into its
national policy.
Minister
Thomas Laken, who is responsible for Environment, Climate Change Adaptation and
Disaster Management, told the High Level Dialogue, the Pacific nation is
piloting the integrated approach on the island of Epi in the Shefa
Province.
“On the
island, people will need to relocate inland as a result of the impact of climate
change and in the event of a natural disaster. The airport on the island is
built on the coast and will need to be relocated inland also because sea water
inundation.
Minister
Laken said Vanuatu will need assistance of donors to support national efforts in
reducing disaster risks and the impact of climate change.
He agreed
with the deputy Prime Minister of Tonga that while development partners are an
important stakeholder in the integrated approach, ‘They must supplement national
efforts and not tell us what we need to do. We must decide what we want to do,’
said Minister Laken.
Cook Islands
Finance Minister Mark Brown shared best practices now implemented by his
government to strengthening its public financing system to increase ensure
climate financing flows through.
“This is part
of our approach to build donor confidence in our financing and budgetary
processes. We did this because we found that we were not accessing climate
finances.
To deal with
the issue at the regional level, the just concluded ADB finance ministers
meeting in Tonga, agreed to set up taskforce to look at ways of improving our
financial systems because of the stringent requirements of accessing climate
financing.
“We have
difficulties accessing these funds because of the different requirements at the
bilateral, regional and multilateral level. These funds are not getting into the
country for project activities.
“This is
where we will need the support of regional organisations, who can use their
networks and relationships with development partners to access these funding
mechanisms, said Minister Brown.
The role of
political leadership in supporting the development of the new regional
integrated strategy and its implementation at the regional, national and
community level is critical to its success.
The High
Level Dialogue is intended to provide decision makers with an insight into how
they can lead and support national integration of CC and DRM.
No comments:
Post a Comment