Praneeta Prakash 
The Fiji Business Disaster Resilience Council is backing the proposed Pacific Resilience Facility.
Council Chair Karunesh Rao made the submission before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence during discussions on the Pacific Resilience Treaty.
The council says while climate finance is available globally, it rarely reaches micro, small and medium enterprises. MSMEs make up about 80 percent of Fiji’s registered businesses and employ around 60 percent of the workforce.
Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Chief Executive Edward Bernard says businesses are expected to reopen quickly after disasters to keep the economy running, but they are rarely supported to prepare in advance.
“Therefore, we express in principle support for the establishment of the PRF. We highlight that private sector resilience remains underfinanced and under-supported despite its central economic role.”
Rao highlighted a major gap in disaster financing for MSMEs, saying many global funds are not tailored to Pacific needs.
He says the Pacific Resilience Facility would be Pacific-owned, grant-based and focused on preparedness rather than just disaster response. It would also complement national systems and allow for scalability.
The council is also developing a Private Sector Disaster Resilience Toolkit to help businesses turn resilience plans into practical action.
The council says it stands ready to work with government and regional partners to strengthen business resilience and support economic stability in Fiji.
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