Why? The community developed a long-term water security plan that established harvesting systems, rehabilitated a groundwater well with a solar-powered pump, all supported by maintenance training and awareness raising on resource management.

“Across the rest of Yap we mobilized ships to bring tons of water to island communities but to this island we brought not one bottle. They even said to us ‘bring an empty ship and we’ll pump our water on it for our sister islands’,” said Andrew Yatilman, Director of the Office of Environment and Emergency Management of Federated States of Micronesia.

In November 2015, the Republic of Palau, Western Pacific (population 21,000), endorsed its ‘Climate Change Policy for Climate and Disaster Resilient Low Emissions Development’ developed after a two-year consultation. The policy addresses 10 development sectors: agriculture and fisheries, health, finance and economic development, natural resources, critical infrastructure, utilities, culture, governance, education, and tourism.

Both the Director of the National Emergency Management Organization Mr. Waymine Towai and the National Climate Change Coordinator, Mr. Erbai Xavier Matsutaro, said they had ‘high hopes’ that the policy would steer Palau towards more integrated action on resilience despite the many challenges.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), along with SPC and SPREP, is co-organizing the two-day joint platform/roundtable.

The meeting takes place a week ahead of International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13. This year’s focus is on target (b) of the Sendai Framework: Reducing the number of people directly affected by disasters. Several speakers referred to the current situation in Vanuatu where the full evacuation of the entire 11,000 population of Ambae Island, has been ordered because of fears that the Manaro volcano may erupt.

Date: 4 Oct 2017

Sources:United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific (UNISDR Pacific)

Themes:Climate Change, Governance, Indigenous Knowledge

Regions:Oceania