In June 2010 the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) facilitated a national inter-agency contingency planning exercise for the Cook Islands. Participants came from various government departments, national response agencies and civil society. The group identified strengths and weaknesses in the current disaster response system, as well as areas requiring further development such as the entry and coordination of foreign disaster relief.
Building on this analysis, the Cook Islands Red Cross Society and the IFRC Pacific Office approached the Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI) authorities and offered to support increased awareness and understanding of the issues related to the entry and coordination of international relief efforts amongst key response actors in the Cook Islands. This outreach led to an IDRL forum at the end of 2010, which was jointly run by the EMCI and the Cook Islands Red Cross Society. Participants included representatives from government ministries, civil society, the New Zealand High Commission and the national society.
Several important recommendations emerged from the workshop, including suggestions that the EMCI brief participants at the next Heads of Ministries meeting and the next National Disaster Risk Management Council. The key message coming out of the workshop was the need to seek technical assistance from the IFRC Pacific Office for enhanced legal preparedness in international disaster response.