Between 18-19th September, a review of Fiji’s National Humanitarian Policy for Disaster Risk Management was held in Suva. This is the first of a series of consultations with key stakeholders, namely for government and civil society.
Initially developed in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclones Evan and Winston, the policy outlines national disaster risk management strategies and protocols and aims to mitigate the impact of future disasters. IFRC Disaster Law worked closely with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to create the policy, and alongside Fiji Red Cross, helped facilitate the review.
“The goal of the review was to assess how effective Fiji’s current policy is and to ensure that it is fit for purpose moving forward” says Ernest Gibson, IFRC Pacific Disaster Law Senior Officer.
“It was an opportunity to bring national stakeholders together, increase collaboration and ensure that the policy is inclusive of all community members.
“Ensuring that the voices of vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities are heard and that their needs are addressed in disaster management is essential.
“NDMO showed a clear commitment to this, and seeing so many different groups represented at the review was encouraging.”
Part of the review was to determine the appetite of stakeholders for the addition of new thematic areas within the policy - crosscutting issues, humanitarian civil military coordination, integrated approach in multi-hazard early warning systems, early recovery, and internally displaced people.
The participation of local civil society organisations was significant with over 40 different groups in attendance. These included local development and disaster response organisations as well as those representing women, people with disabilities and the LGBTQIA community.
“The policy reflects the needs of the community in Fiji, and ongoing reviews will ensure that it continues to do so.
“The review was a great success, and we look forward to more positive consultations.”