The caretaker Minister of Climate Change Adaptation (MoCCA), Bruno Leingkone, officially opened a five-day workshop on Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF) Tuesday.
The workshop is co-facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pacific Community (SPC), and is hosted by the Department of Strategic Policy, Planning & Aid Coordination (DSPPAC) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO).
A PDNA is a government led process that facilitates effective and timely transition from relief to development that identifies the immediate, medium and long-term humanitarian needs of affected populations.
The main objectives of the workshop are to up skill Vanuatu government officials on the application of a standardised approach and methodology to conduct post-disaster needs assessments, formulate a recovery strategy, and plan for its successful implementation and monitoring.
The training targets Vanuatu government officials responsible for undertaking assessments, policy development and implementation of post disaster recovery.
In his official opening speech, Mr Leingkone, acknowledged that the strengthening resilience of local communities to climate change and extreme weather patterns is increasingly becoming a core development challenge for Vanuatu, and that the people of Vanuatu are counting on the workshop to build greater institutional capacity within Government to enable coherent processes that can lead to the development of robust, evidence and needs-based recovery strategies and plans that will strengthen resilience to future events.
“UNDP is proud to support this workshop as it is committed to strengthening disaster risk reduction and providing local capacity development in Pacific island states, essential to building disaster resilience in the long- term and early recovery programmes for the most vulnerable after events,” Noud Leenders — UNDP DRM Advisor, Disaster Resilience for Pacific Small Islands Developing States (RESPAC) Project Manager stated.
Efforts have been made to adapt the regional workshop being conducted across 14 Pacific Island countries to ensure the alignment and integration of the existing Vanuatu disaster assessment processes and procedures, including taking into account lessons learnt from Tropical Cyclone Pam, Ambae volcanic eruptions and subsequent evacuations, and other recent disasters into the workshop. This is important to make the training relevant and meaningful for Vanuatu.
The workshop is timely as the Government of Vanuatu is currently developing a National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) that will consider how post-disaster needs assessments and development of disaster recovery plans fit into the NDRF.
The PDNA/DRF workshop is part of international humanitarian efforts to promote a harmonized approach in government-led efforts to determine recovery needs after a disaster and to plan and implement recovery strategies to help rebuild the physical, social and human capital of affected communities.
The PDNA/DRF workshop is funded through the UNDP from the Pacific Early Recovery Fund (PERF) and is part of an initial funding of VT24.8 million to the Government of Vanuatu to strengthen disaster management and support the recovery of those that have been affected by the recent Ambae volcano disaster.
The training will run from 24th to 28th of February 2020 and is being held at Iririki Island Resort in Port Vila.
Photo supplied Caption: Participants with the Caretaker Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Bruno Leingkone.