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Islands of resilience: Insights from the PHWP North Pacific Mission

7 January 2025

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Throughout November 2024, the Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP) embarked on an extensive three-week mission across the North Pacific, aiming to understand disaster preparedness mechanisms in the North Pacific. 

The mission had two objectives: conducting scoping visits and facilitating national engagement workshops with National Disaster Management Offices (NDMO). These workshops gathered stakeholders, including government ministries, national and international Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, and humanitarian partners, to introduce and discuss the programme’s objectives. Participants represented a broad spectrum of perspectives, ensuring inclusive dialogue. 

The mission highlighted the logistical challenges in delivering aid across vast oceanic distances. Reaching remote islands requires navigating significant obstacles, from coordinating maritime transport to establishing reliable distribution networks. The team's efforts provided valuable insights into "last mile" delivery challenges, particularly in communities with limited infrastructure.

 This experience demonstrated how the Pacific region's unique geography shapes emergency response capabilities, requiring specialised approaches to disaster preparedness that account for both its maritime expanses and diverse island communities. 

Capacity and resourcing emerged as a recurring theme across the Micronesian sub-region, with partners sharing their challenges in building and maintaining organisational capabilities. NDMOs are struggling with recruiting, training, and retaining skilled personnel. These challenges particularly impact disaster preparedness efforts and underscore the need for strategies that support long-term workforce sustainability. 

Navigating customary land ownership presents unique considerations for the Programme. While some governments like Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) have allocated land for the construction of national warehouses under the Program, the process requires careful attention to traditional land management systems. In low-lying atoll states particularly, the intersection of high land utilisation, limited available space, and multiple competing needs calls for thoughtful planning. Success in these contexts stems from collaborative approaches that align infrastructure development with local customs and community priorities. 

A key highlight during our mission was a special audience with the President H.E Wesley Simina and Vice President Hon. Aren B. Palik of the Federated States of Micronesia. Their support for PHWP was evident as they endorsed our mission. 

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SPC’s Regional Director Micronesia, Willliam Kostka led the PHWP delegation to meet with FSM’s President H.E Wesley Simina and Vice President Hon. Aren B. Palik accompanied by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management (DECCEM) Assistant Secretary, Abigail Kim-Lambert  

 

The groundbreaking ceremony for Kiribati’s first humanitarian warehouse was an important occasion, underscoring the links between community, leadership, and land. The team was especially grateful to H.E. Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati, who officiated the event – a significant gesture just days before delivering his maiden speech to the first parliamentary sitting of his new term. 

"While we cannot predict every challenge that lies ahead, we can and must prepare for them. Today's ground-breaking marks a pivotal step towards ensuring that Kiribati is equipped to face whatever challenges the future may hold," said President Maamau. 

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Groundbreaking ceremony of the Kiribati Humanitarian Warehouse officiated by the Kiribati President H.E. Taneti Maamau (centre) alongside Acting Australian High Commissioner Anthony Liew and New Zealand High Commission Deputy High Commissioner Nigel Ewels flanked by NDMO Director Takena Redfern and PHWP Program Manager George Beck 

 

He added that the warehouse would be a vital hub stocked with essential supplies, ready to be mobilised in times of natural disasters, emergencies, and unforeseen crises. 

Building on these missions’ insights and engagements, the Programme will develop a comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Diagnostics and Country Implementation Plans and present these to the governments of FSM, Marshall Islands, and Nauru. These plans will outline specific initiatives and timelines for implementation. In 2025, the Programme plans to co-host an engagement workshop with the National Emergency Management Office in Palau. 

These strategic investments in infrastructure, capacity building, and regional cooperation are vital steps in strengthening the Pacific's resilience against the negative impacts of climate change. As these island nations face increasingly frequent and severe weather events, the PHWP's mission demonstrates that collaborative action and preparedness through infrastructure, can transform potential crises into opportunities for building more resilient communities. 

Country
Nauru
Federated States of Micronesia
Marshall Islands
Kiribati
Palau

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