Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[File Photo]
Director of the National Disaster Management Office, Vasiti Soko, emphasized the need for guiding principles and procedures to navigate the landscape of planned relocations.
Soko made the comment at a panel appearance in Dubai at an event commemorating the legacy of the late Prof. Saleemul Huq.
Huq is renowned for his tireless advocacy of adaptation, loss, and damage.
Soko, emphasized the critical need for immediate and comprehensive action on loss and damage.
She stressed the profound challenges posed by rising sea levels, extreme weather events and coastal erosion, jeopardizing the very existence of island nations
The NDMO Director says Fiji has taken proactive steps by developing Planned Relocation Guidelines and Displacement Guidelines and establishing pillars that ensure the values and rights of affected communities are respected throughout the relocation process.
She admits there’s limited multilateral financing mechanisms available for planned relocations and also shared the process behind the Planned Relocation Trust Fund by the Fiji government.
She adds that this fund, supported by public financing and contributions from development partners, aims to alleviate the financial burden of planned relocation efforts.
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