Fiji | 17 February- Strengthening disability inclusive disaster risk management starts with strengthening the systems that collect and use data. In the Pacific, this has become a growing priority for organisations working to ensure that no one is left behind when disasters strike. For persons with disabilities who are often disproportionately affected by disasters, gaps in data collection can translate into life-threatening delays in response, limited access to services, and exclusion from preparedness planning. Building national capacity to generate and use better data is therefore essential for inclusive resilience.
Recognising this need, the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF), the regional peak body representing organisations of persons with disabilities across the Pacific, with support from the Pacific Community (SPC) through the European Union-funded Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific II (BSRP II) programme , organised a three‑day training from 1–3 December 2025. The goal was to support disability advocates with practical tools and shared approaches that enhance the work they already lead, helping translate community experiences into stronger, more inclusive disaster strategies.
Over the three days, more than 15 participants immersed themselves in learning the KoBo Toolbox, a digital platform for collecting and managing data. Guided by SPC’s Disaster and Community Resilience Programme, participants moved from designing accessible data collection forms to collecting field data on mobile phones to validating and exporting data for mapping and analysis. They were also introduced to the Partner Readiness to Engage Assessment (PREA) tool, designed to assess how well disability inclusion is integrated into disaster risk management systems.
For many, the learning experience was transformative
“Over these three days of training on the KOBO Toolbox, although I had attended similar training before, this session has expanded my knowledge on data collection. The tool is easy to use, and what used to be a major challenge such as uploading data myself has now become much simpler and more accessible,” said Ms. Asinate Tinai, Project Officer, Fiji Association for the Deaf.
“The training on the Kobo Toolbox have been a valuable experience. It has taught me how to collect data in my line of work, and I believe this tool will really help me when collecting data on persons with disabilities across different communities around Fiji and Pacific Region.” Said Mr. Antonio Tuvici, Project Assistant, Pacific Disability Forum.
Speaking at the opening of the training in Suva, EU Representative Mr Gabor Sasvari highlighted the importance of inclusive approaches in the region, stating that reaching the last mile in disaster risk management means leaving no one behind.
The training concluded with a clear way forward. PDF and its partners will deploy the PREA survey across 14 Pacific Island countries and Timor‑Leste. The results will feed directly into national disaster risk management policies and guide tailored country-level trainings for disaster management officials and national organisations of persons with disabilities. This ensures that inclusion is not optional, but essential.
The learning from these three days now feeds into a wider regional effort to strengthen disability inclusion in disaster planning. As countries begin applying the new tools, the evidence generated will help make national systems more responsive to the people they serve.
About BSRP II
The BSRP II project, funded under the EU’s 11th European Development Fund, supports 15 Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste to strengthen disaster resilience, including more inclusive data systems, early warning, policy development, and capacity building.