The Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian response partners from across the Pacific are having a five days joint program of events, in Suva to discuss regional resilience to disasters and emergency management, for communities in Fiji and across the Pacific.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Director Geoscience Division, Professor Michael Petterson says the meeting is about helping individual communities to be proactive in preparing for disasters before they happen.
“It’s not only is it a humanitarian thing, it’s an economic development issue, for that our countries might make good progress in economic development, but than their knocked back by 5, 10 and maybe even 15 years in certain circumstances, because of disasters.”
Professor Petterson said working towards a proactive way to prepare for natural disasters is not only the work of the disaster risk specialist and humanitarian specialists but also economists and communities to corporate and participate.
European Union Ambassador to Fiji Andrew Jacobs says it is expected by the end of the five days meeting there should be a very clear idea of what the priorities are in Fiji and the Pacific, in terms of building up resilience to natural disasters, and the negative effects of climate change.
Jacobs says as a build up to the COP 21 which is to be held in Paris, the joint programs is to ensure a strong agreement in reducing the negative effects of climate change, across the Pacific.
