53210 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands REPUBLIC OF VANUATU COUNTRy AssEssmENT GFDRR Global FaCIlITY FoR DISaSTER REDUCTIoN aND RECoVERY Acronyms and Abbreviations AusAID Australian Agency for International Development CBDAmPIC Capacity Building for the Development of Adaptation Measures for Pacific Island Countries CCA Climate change adaptation DRR Disaster risk reduction GDP Gross domestic product GEF Global Environment Facility HFA Hyogo Framework for Action LDC Least developed country m&E Monitoring and evaluation mLNR Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources NACCC National Advisory Committee for Climate Change NAP National Action Plan NAPA National Adaptation Program for Action NDmO National Disaster Management Office NZAID New Zealand Agency for International Development PICCAP Pacific Island Climate Change Assistance Program sOPAC South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Program UNEsCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change VUV Vanuatu Vatu (currency) UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................ 4 Country Context .................................................................................................... 6 Key Country Findings ......................................................................................... 8 Detailed Country Assessment ........................................................................ 11 Governance and decisionmaking ................................................................. 11 Planning and budgetary processes.............................................................. 13 Mainstreaming into plans, policy, legislation, regulations ........................ 14 Knowledge, data, tools.................................................................................... 14 Vulnerability and risk assessments ............................................................... 16 Monitoring and evaluation .............................................................................. 17 Awareness raising and capacity building.................................................... 18 Implementation of actual risk-reducing measures..................................... 18 Coordination among government agencies ............................................... 19 Coordination among donors and key stakeholders .................................. 20 Opportunities for Investment ......................................................................... 21 Annex A. Proposals for support to Vanuatu ........................................... 25 References and Bibliography ......................................................................... 28 Figures and Tables Figure 1. Republic of Vanuatu ...................................................................... 6 Table 1. Summary of Situation, Gaps and Opportunities for investment in DRR and CCA for Vanuatu .......................... 9 4 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands Introduction T he impact of natural disasters and their poten- At the national level, a number of countries embarked tial to increase as a result of climate change have on strategic planning activities to address DRR and received greater attention in recent years. With CCA. Vanuatu is the only Pacific island country to an onset of strategies, action plans and frameworks have completed both a National Plan of Action (NAP) have been put in place internationally. At a regional for DRR and a National Adaptation Program of Ac- level, the strategies address this growing concern tion (NAPA) for CCA. about the risks of disasters and the uncertain hazards from climate change. In 2005, the Hyogo Framework This assessment draws on these past analyses and as- for Action (HFA) 2005­2015 identified the following sesses the extent to which DRR and CCA activities 5 priorities for action: have progressed in Vanuatu. It identifies the gaps or impediments to risk reduction, taking account of the (1) Ensure risk reduction is a national and a local pri- HFA principles as a basis for identifying opportuni- ority with a strong institutional basis for imple- ties for progressing risk-reduction initiatives. The as- mentation; sessment also takes into account other existing frame- (2) Identify, assess, and monitor disaster risks and en- works such as the Pacific Plan and the Pacific Forum- hance early warning; adopted Framework for Action 2005­2015. The assess- (3) Use knowledge and innovation to build a culture ment focus is on risk reduction (as opposed to disaster of safety and resilience; management measures to prepare for, respond to, and (4) Reduce underlying risk factors; and recover from disaster events when they occur). The (5) Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective re- initiatives can be in the areas of better understanding sponse at all levels. hazard information (to inform DRR and CCA activi- ties), strengthening the enabling environment (to im- Building on the HFA priorities for action, the Pacific prove risk reduction focus and activity in-country) or Island Forum in 2005 adopted the Disaster Risk Re- on-the-ground activities (to actually reduce risk). duction and Disaster Management Framework for Action 2005­2015: An Investment for Sustainable Development The assessment covers how disaster risk reduction in the Pacific Island Countries. Consistent with HFA, and climate change adaptation have been managed in the Forum-adopted Framework for Action reflects in- Vanuatu with a view to identifying measures for im- creasing national and regional commitment to disas- provement. Specific sector activities are addressed as ter risk reduction (DRR) and disaster management, in they were encountered, but the assessment does not support of sustainable development. set out to provide a comprehensive summary of sec- tor-by-sector activities. Other reports have done that The 2006 World Bank policy note, "Not If, But and are referenced as appropriate. When," highlights the vulnerabilities to natural disas- ters in the Pacific Region, and describes the human This assessment highlights aspects such as the current and monetary costs of disasters over the past 50 years. country status, gaps, opportunities and barriers related The policy note advocates for a merger or closer inter- to (a) national policies, strategies, plans, and activities action of climate change adaptation (CCA) and disas- to manage natural hazards; (b) the enabling environ- ter risk management (DRM), as well as integration of ment for a comprehensive risk management approach these issues into economic and operational planning to natural hazards; and (c) the capacity to undertake processes. such a comprehensive approach, including institu- Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 5 tional arrangements, human resources, public aware- also clear that governance frameworks have been ne- ness, information, and national budget allocations. glected in efforts to date and that the preconditions It also reviews and identifies the need for informed for mainstreaming identified by the World Bank's policy choices, improved decisionmaking processes, "Not If, but When" are largely missing. strengthened regulations, and legislative and policy changes required to support proposed country-level The Vanuatu assessment begins by explaining the con- activities. text of the country in relation to DRR and CCA im- pact. It follows with sections on key country findings The focus on government arrangements arises from and detailed country assessments that focus on some clear evidence of systemic difficulties through many components relevant to achievement of the HFA: gov- Pacific island countries in establishing an enabling en- ernance and mainstreaming, planning and budgetary vironment and cross-sector focus for DRR and CCA processes, data and knowledge, risk and vulnerability activities. The evidence is compelling that sustainable assessments, monitoring and evaluation, awareness and systematic risk reduction activity (i.e., on other raising and capacity building, and coordination. From than an ad hoc and externally driven basis) will not this assessment, possible opportunities for addressing occur without government commitment at least at a the identified gaps and impediments within the HFA policy and regulatory level. This principle is expressed are presented in the final section. The proposals for in HFA priority (1), though in Vanuatu's case the future support are presented in Annex A. v Government has demonstrated its commitment. It is 6 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands Country Context V anuatu comprises around 80 islands with a Vanuatu is also subject to climatic variability and ex- total land area of 12,300 square kilometers tremes. Vanuatu's latitude places it in the path of tropical spread over some 1,300 kilometers in a north cyclones, making it subject to cycles of El Niņo and La to south direction, between latitudes 12° to 23° south Niņa, which increase the risks, respectively, of droughts and longitudes 166° to 173° east (Figure 1). The cur- and floods. Future climate change and sea-level rise rent population is estimated to be 215,000, of which threaten to exacerbate the risks posed from tropical cy- 80 percent live in rural villages on the 7 islands of clones, coastal and river flooding, coastal erosion, heavy Efate, Espiritu Santo, Tanna, Malekula, Pentecost, rainfall events, and droughts. Recent climate-related Ambae, and Ambrym. disasters include Cyclone Prema in 1993, which caused damages estimated at US$60 million. Vanuatu faces a full range of geologic and climatic hazards. The islands are located in a seismically and Overall, the country is extremely vulnerable to natural volcanically active region and have high exposure to disasters. According to the Commonwealth Vulner- geologic hazards, including volcanic eruptions, earth- ability Index--based on (a) the impact of external quakes, tsunamis, and landslides. Recent disasters shocks over which an affected country has little or no include the November 1999 Penama earthquake and control and (b) the resilience of a country to withstand tsunami that affected about 23,000 people and the and recover from such shocks--Vanuatu ranks as the 2002 Port Vila earthquake that caused structural and world's most vulnerable country out of 111 develop- infrastructure damage. ing countries assessed. Due to this high vulnerability, Figure 1. Republic of Vanuatu Vanuatu is still accorded UN-listed least developed country (LDC) status despite a per capita GDP above the LDC threshold. Adding to Vanuatu's physical characteristics, other conditions contribute to the country's vulnerability: n A narrow economic base and a weakly developed economy. While small-scale agriculture provides a living for 65 percent of the population, 65 percent of GDP is generated by the service sector. Agriculture and a small industry sector accounts for about 25 percent and 10 percent of GDP, respectively. The local market is small. The growing tourism sector, with 60,000 visitors (in 2005) mainly around Port Vila, is the main foreign exchange earner. This nar- row economic base makes the cash economy partic- ularly vulnerable to disruption by natural disasters. n Weak inter- and intra-island communication and transport networks. Many areas lack national radio reception. Well-developed road transport exists only Source: Asian Development Bank. near population centers (just 111 kilometers of roads Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 7 are sealed), mostly on the larger islands. While air tion (for CCA) in 2007. The NAP is approved by the service is daily to the main islands, there are only 5 Council of Ministers (with a budget approval but no airports with sealed runways (out of 29 in total). budget appropriation) and awaits donor support for implementation of the Provisional Indicative Imple- n Wide dispersal of land over island country. The mentation Program at US$3.77 million). The NAPA 80 islands that comprise Vanuatu are spread over contains 5 priority projects. Activities from 3 of them a maritime exclusive economic zone of 680,000 are included in the NAPA implementation project to square kilometers. Many areas of the country are be co-financed by the Least Developed Country Fund isolated and therefore extremely vulnerable in the and the European Commission. event of disaster. The NAP and NAPA can be considered foundation In recent years Vanuatu has embarked upon a com- blocks for this country assessment. This assessment prehensive reform program to strengthen its national can be distinguished from other efforts by being fo- and provincial governance arrangements and in 2005 cused squarely on risk reduction in the context of cur- adopted a Priority Action Agenda for cross-sector rent hazards and future climate change, particularly as reforms. These reform initiatives have resulted in a regards the synergies between them. The main intent willingness to address issues across sectors and on a is to identify a set of opportunities for short-term in- sectorwide basis. While substantial capacity issues ex- vestment (e.g., less than or equal to 3 years, in first ist, planning is progressing on this basis. instance) that will fill critical gaps and that promise to make headway in reducing risks. The key findings of Vanuatu completed a National Action Plan (for the Vanuatu country assessment are presented in the DRR) in 2006 and a National Adaptation Plan of Ac- following section. v 8 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands Key Country Findings I n a general comparison to most Pacific island coun- Despite consistency with HFA priority (1), especially tries, the Vanuatu Government has a heightened through the commitment shown by the Government to level of awareness and appreciation of the con- support DRR and CCA inclusion, these positive attri- straints to sustainable development posed by its partic- butes are tempered by severe limitations, especially with ularly high level of exposure to geological, hydrologi- regard to the disconnection among national, provincial, cal, and climatic risks. This is evident across a range of and community levels of governance; and an absence of ministries and departments. As a consequence, there departmental follow-through to commit sector plans for appears to be a willingness to work across sectors to DRR and CCA inclusion in national planning docu- address areas of common interests in risk reduction. It ments, budget appropriations, and donor support. This is also reflected in the fact that Vanuatu has taken up assessment identified 2 additional gaps that are also the challenge of producing the Pacific Region's first related to HFA priorities (2) and (3): lack of technical NAP and NAPA and has established a National Task knowledge and hazard data and risk and vulnerability as- Force and National Advisory Committee for Climate sessments and the capacity to perform them. Change (NACCC), relatively strong advisory teams for driving the national agenda. It has also demon- There are several gaps in the implementation of risk- strated some readiness to adjust governance structures reducing activities--HFA priority (4)--although ap- and planning arrangements in order to enhance the propriate interventions have been identified in the chances of successful implementation of DRR and NAP and NAPA. The expected funding for the NAP CCA actions. Overall, Vanuatu has shown demon- has not materialized, setting back its implementation. strable actions: On the other hand, selected priorities from the NAPA are to be implemented with resources from the Least n Expressed commitment to follow through with Developed Country Fund and European Commission. DRR and CCA planning and strategies; n Well-coordinated, cross-sector planning, especially This assessment has identified 4 priority areas where as fostered by NACCC in the CCA context, which investment could prove effective in overcoming some has prompted sector strategies and 5-year plans be- of these constraints in order to strengthen disaster risk ing developed by sector agencies; reduction and climate change adaptation. They seek to provide targeted added value for implementing the n Good appreciation of the synergies between DRR actions set out in the NAP and NAPA and elsewhere, and CCA commonalities; and include: n Softening of the "silo effect" at national govern- n Risk mapping to support town planning and vil- ment level, with a willingness of members to work lage development, within the NACCC and National Task Force in a n Support to the NAP implementation and the po- coordinated, cross-sectoral fashion; tential to integrate with CCA arrangements, n Promote DRR and CCA in the tourism sector for n Reasonable understanding of some hazards (e.g., Vanuatu, volcanic hazards); n Support for Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources n Evidence of elements of mainstreaming, especially in reforming land-use policy and regulation. with regard to CCA implementation, into national policies, plans, and strategies of government agen- These 4 opportunities for investment are selective, not cies. comprehensive. They are derived from a combination Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 9 of priorities identified from the NAP and NAPA and and (d) have an identified in-country commitment, through consultations with the National Task Force, champion, and/or effective arrangement for implemen- the NACCC, and various agencies of the Government tation. As well, they mainly address the issues associ- of Vanuatu. The 4 items were finally selected having ated with HFA priorities (1), (2), and (4). A summary met specific criteria: (a) directly involve risk reduction; of the country situation and the gaps or impediments (b) are likely to produce tangible results within 3 years; to effective risk reduction, which justify the selection of (c) are likely to have sustainable, longer-term benefits; these opportunities, is presented in Table 1. Table 1. summary of situation, Gaps and Opportunities for investment in DRR and CCA for Vanuatu situation Gap or Impediment Opportunities Expansion of towns and villages Methods and capacity for risk Risk mapping to support town planning is occurring without regard to mapping are not integrated and village development, a demonstration geologic and climatic risks. into town planning and village project for sustainable hazard risk-reduction developments. (including CCA), involving identification of vulnerable areas and providing essential capacity building in risk mapping to guide land- use zoning for urban and rural environments. The NAP has been approved Capacity and resources are Support to the NAP implementation, and the Provisional Indicative required to establish the especially by establishing an integrated Implementation Program Program Management Unit for program management unit and through developed, but has not started implementing the first 3 years of capacity building. due to a lack of funding the NAP. commitment. Few initiatives are underway Lack of development of risk Promote DRR and CCA in the tourism to ensure that development is assessments and guidelines for sector for Vanuatu, including the undertaken in a sustainable tourism development and siting. development of risk profiles (including both manner regarding disaster and DDR and CCA) and guidelines for sustainable climate risks. Tourism is seen as development of the tourism sector and their a pilot. pilot application. Vanuatu has weak land use Lack of capacity with the Ministry Support for Ministry of Lands and regulations and little control over of Lands and Natural Resources Natural Resources in reforming land-use land use that exacerbate disaster to mainstream DDR and policy and regulation, especially in building risks. Ministry of Lands and CCA into policies, plans, and capacity for mainstreaming DDR and CCA Natural Resources is reforming regulations. Requires external into land-use policies, strategic plans and policy and developing strategic assistance to build that capacity. regulations. plans. Refer to the final section and Annex A for more details program (about 10 years) to address DRR and CCA on these opportunities for investment in Vanuatu. issues would be appropriate for Vanuatu but should be implemented in phases given the country's capacity A follow-up workshop in Vanuatu to discuss an earlier constraints. The first phase could address important draft of this assessment was hosted by the NACCC cross-cutting issues not included in the NAPA imple- on February 25, 2009. The general conclusion from mentation project, such as strengthening the policy, these consultations was that, based on the recom- legal, and institutional DRR and CCA frameworks; mendations in the NAP and NAPA, a long-term mainstreaming disaster and climate risk at different 10 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands levels of government; and strengthening analytical, from the NAP and other sources, which could be sup- monitoring, and communications capabilities. ported if additional resources become available and adequate local capacity exists. These opportunities The consultations also identified a second set of more address the HFA priorities (4) and (5) and are sum- immediate on-the ground risk reduction activities marized below. v HFA priority Opportunities (4) Reduce underlying risk factors Prepare country wide hazard risk maps. Identify key infrastructure for strengthening (roads, bridges, buildings, water storage facilities, etc.). Establish and enforce appropriate building codes. Develop a renewable energy strategy to reduce energy risk. (5) Strengthen disaster preparedness Develop early warning system. for effective response at all levels Strengthen the disaster response mechanism including links to provincial levels. Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 11 Detailed Country Assessment Governance and decisionmaking cates and promotes activity through responsible de- CCA legislation. The most relevant CCA legislation partments that are expected, through their respective is the Environmental Management and Conservation ministries, to obtain budget and donor support. To Act 2002. It addresses biosecurity, conservation, and date, sector activity is still at the planning stage, and development. While providing for formal environmen- any budget commitment for implementation will fol- tal impact assessments for development, the Act is non- low with project development. specific in terms of climate change adaptation. The Environment Unit with 2 staff within the Ministry of Up to about a year ago, there had been a reactive ap- Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) administered proach to issues and an absence of cross-agency coordi- the Act. It is intended that the Environment Unit be- nation and mainstreaming. The NACCC has recently come a Department with a director and 6 staff. promoted the development of some long-term sector strategic policies with a follow-up of 5-year action CCA national policies and structures. There is a plans. An example of this is the MLNR-developed draft Climate Change Policy from 8-10 years ago, Draft National Water Strategy of January 2008. This which led to the development of the NAPA. Adopted draft strategy takes a sectorwide approach. It creates by the Government in June 2007, the Policy is await- a new focus on sector stewardship and regulation, in- ing endorsement from the United Nations Framework cluding devolved roles to the provinces, and provides Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). for water resource management for the first time. It includes establishing an expanded network through The NAPA identifies four sectors--Agriculture and the Hydrological Cycle Observing System (HYCOS) Food Security, Sustainable Tourism Development, and development of a Geographic Information Sys- Community-based Marine Resource Management, and tem database. Implementation will depend on fund- Sustainable Forestry Management--to receive some ing, and capacity will be a constant constraint. support through the Least Developed Country Fund. Other funding will depend on sector ministries promot- The MLNR has also developed a long-term strategy ing budget requests through the Government budget for energy and planned for a strategic land reform pol- process or from new sources of external funding. icy. This would be followed with a 5-year action plan to link land use regulation across all islands and de- Work on climate change is coordinated through the velop land use zoning maps and vulnerable area map- NACCC. The NACCC comprises department heads, ping. The focus would be on countrywide programs is chaired by the Director of the Meteorological Ser- that are practical and achievable, moving toward risk vice (as the focal point), and reports to the Council of reduction. The programs had cross-sector support at Ministers. The Director-General of the Ministry of the Director-General level, and work was required to Land, Mines, and Energy is also a major champion of get agreement on how the programs should be done. the NACCC initiatives. Significant funding and resource support would be re- quired, but their emphasis was on assistance that could A core team of technical officers drawn from the work with in-country resources to develop capacity. member departments gives support to the NACCC. In its role, the NACCC coordinates activities among Complementing this renewed commitment to coor- departments, reports to the Council of Ministers, and dination and pro-active planning is a focus on devel- addresses international reporting obligations. It allo- oping functions, roles, and capacity at the provincial 12 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands level to support community initiatives. Such functions endeavors to establish a governmentwide prevention do not exist at the provincial level. Activities, which framework, but is too mired with confusing account- have been undertaken, are ad hoc rather than part of a abilities and unworkable structures to accomplish this. mainstreaming focus. The 2006 NAP addresses these issues in a 10-year ac- tion plan to give effect to all aspects of disaster risk re- CCA summary. The CCA governance arrangements duction and disaster management across government are relatively well developed. There is a recent change agencies and across all levels of government. toward pro-active planning across departments, reach- ing ultimately into provincial government. There is a The policies and actions were incorporated in 2006 high degree of commitment across departments to into the Vanuatu national medium-term planning this strategic-level cooperative planning, but there framework as a Supplementary Priority Action Agen- is a significant challenge in carrying it through to da for disaster risk reduction and disaster manage- the development of sector plans and budgets and to ment. In early 2007 the Government also adopted a implementing arrangements. There are opportunities disaster management framework and flowchart that for supporting this commitment, but it is essential to offered the basis for developing new legislation, a new build on the growing sense of in-country self determi- disaster management plan, and new government or- nation and capacity building. ganizational arrangements. The NAP is the mecha- nism giving effect to the implementation of all rel- DRR legislation. The National Disaster Act 2000 evant DRR policies. is the relevant DRR legislation focused on prepared- ness and response arrangements for disasters. While In August 2007 the Government adopted a 3-year Pro- the Act includes a definition of prevention, it is non- visional Indicative Implementation Program (2008- specific about requirements and powers for address- 2010) as the means to implement the NAP. The Gov- ing prevention measures. The Ministry of Internal ernment committed VUV25million (US$250,000) Affairs through the National Disaster Management toward its implementation subject to discussions with Office (NDMO) administers the legislation. The Na- donors on supporting full implementation of the Pro- tional Disaster Management Office has a staff of 3; its visional Indicative Implementation Program at a cost function is to implement the strategies and policies of of US$3.3 million. Full funding is still awaiting agree- the National Disaster Committee, which may include ment between the Government and donors. In place prevention measures. However, the National Disaster within the Program is a steering committee and pro- Management Office has no powers to require other gram management unit to assist in the NAP imple- agencies to act on any identified prevention measures. mentation. The governance arrangements for disaster manage- ment are being reviewed at the national level and The Ministry of Internal Affairs supports a National should include explicit structures, accountabilities, Task Force for disaster management and disaster risk and connections for cross-sector arrangements. Provi- reduction. The National Task Force comprises repre- sions should extend to the provincial and local levels. sentatives of departments with a role in disaster man- agement and disaster risk reduction and is co-chaired DRR national policies and structures. The National by the Directors of the Meteorological Service and Disaster Plan 2004 is the primary policy document de- the National Disaster Management Office. The Task rived from the National Disaster Act 2000. The Plan Force reports to the Reference Group comprising all Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 13 director-generals of ministries and chaired by the Di- Impediments rector-General of the Prime Minister's Office. n Lack of funding for the on-going NAP implementa- tion. Reasons for this include uncertainty around Discussions with the assessment team and the Direc- the process for obtaining funding commitment, a tor-General of the Prime Minister's Office confirmed passive stance from the Government in seeking the Government commitment to the policies. The funding both at the regional level and in-country Director-General was keen to identify means for pro- through donor discussions, and the absence of a gressing the implementation and felt the Government sustainable regional funding mechanism. had made the necessary commitments. Concerned that mechanisms for donor discussions had not pro- n Absence of budget commitment from the Govern- gressed, the Director-General noted the cross-cutting ment for initiating the NAP implementation plan. nature of the initiative and recognized that donors Donors do not see the Government giving this pri- may find it difficult to engage on a co-funding ba- ority and do not see risk reduction as an in-country sis. The Director-General did believe that co-funding priority but rather as a regional issue. There is a was appropriate given National Action Plans were to need for discussion at the country, donor, and re- be implemented across the region. gional level to resolve a way forward. DRR summary. The current legislative, policy, and organizational structures for disaster risk reduction Planning and budgetary processes are weak. There are new Government-adopted policy Planning and budgets are formulated at the depart- initiatives in the form of the Supplementary Priority ment level and promoted through the budget process Action Agenda, the NAP, and the Provisional Indica- by their respective ministry. For cross-sector activities, tive Implementation Program, all of which are cur- the lead department is expected to promote the over- rently unfunded. Despite this, there is enthusiasm all initiative, but individual departments need to bud- across sectors for the National Task Force, and some get for their separate components. Except for times sector activity is being undertaken arising from the of disaster when appropriations are made on a needs still unfunded NAP. While the National Task Force is basis, there is little experience of cross-sector budget temporarily in abeyance, there is a mechanism avail- initiatives. In future, ministerial-level promotion will able for coordination across departments. be important to move DRR and CCA initiatives into the national budget stream. The intention exists to review the National Disaster Act, the National Disaster Plan, and the organiza- Cabinet decisions do not automatically lead to budget tional arrangements of the National Disaster Man- appropriation since priorities change. There is little agement Office to strengthen disaster management monitoring of the budget process. When donor fund- arrangements and to provide explicitly for addressing ing is required, the process becomes even more dif- disaster risk reduction as a mainstream activity. Work ficult unless the initiative is in an area supported by on the SOPAC-supported national arrangements for both the Government and the donor. Regarding DRR disaster risk management has been undertaken and and CCA support, donors are indicating that their al- draft arrangements are being considered. The oppor- locations will be made from a regional perspective. tunity exists to extend this to the provincial and local Mechanisms for co-funding initiatives from a regional arrangements and to integrate CCA arrangements perspective do not exist at the present time. 14 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands Impediments monitoring budget development with regard to Gov- n Lack of championing by the lead ministry and by ernment decisions. The Planning Office did have Government; DRR and CCA items on their monitoring checklist but did see it as a departmental responsibility to pro- n Regional perspective of donors for DRR and CCA mote. The monitoring function was transferred to the support; Prime Minister's Office. Given the Council of Min- n Absence of a co-funding mechanism at the region- isters' commitment of funds, the Director-General of al level for in-country initiatives. the Prime Minister's Office was disappointed at the general lack of interest in the issue at the department and donor level and also at the regional level. mainstreaming into plans, policy, legislation, regulations There was no addressing of DRR or CCA items at the There is a strong cooperative mechanism for climate provincial-level planning. This issue is recognized in change adaptation through the NACCC, which is pro- the CCA policies being developed and is contained in moting the development of coordinated national and the DRR-focused National Action Plan. sector policies. This has developed as a result of cham- pioning of the issues by the Director of Meteorology On the positive side, there is significant opportuni- and the MLNR Director-General. This resulted in the ty for DRR and CCA alignment through the com- cross-sectoral NAPA being adopted in June 2007, and mon membership of the National Task Force and sector action plans being initiated. However, depart- the NACCC, including the Director-General of the ments and ministries have not yet promoted these ac- Ministry of Meteorological Services, who chairs both tion plans for Government budget appropriation. coordinating bodies. The national DRR coordination mechanism is the Gaps DRM National Task Force, which prepared the NAP n Departments not championing risk reduction pro- in 2006. The NAP provides for the development of grams for budget appropriation; policies and legislation that will create the enabling n Absence of monitoring of Government decisions environment for mainstreaming through a 10-year in relation to the planning and budget process; program. The National Task Force is in abeyance wait- and ing for funding from the national budget and through n Government not placing priority on DRR/CCA donor contribution. Because of lack of sponsorship, a areas in discussions with donors, and donors see- Council of Ministers' commitment of VUV25 mil- ing these issues as regional and not a priority for lion to initiate the NAP Program Management Unit in-country funding. did not reach the appropriation commitment and so did not reach donors for consideration of the broader package. For their part, in-country donors said they Knowledge, data, tools would not have considered it a priority for bilateral Generally, there is an appreciation of the constraints to funding but were aware of it as a regional issue. development posed by geophysical and climatic risks across sectors. However, there is a severe paucity of The National Planning Office in the Department data, tools, and capacity to quantify those risks and to of Social and Economic Planning did have a role of interpret them in a manner that allows risk reduction Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 15 to be integrated explicitly into development planning Ambrym, and Tanna and no ability to provide 24/7 and decisionmaking. warning. There is a proposed NZAID-funded project (NZ$1 million over 10 years but not yet approved) For water resources and water-related risks, such as to establish a volcanic monitoring network on 9 vol- floods and droughts, for example, there are currently canoes with 20 automated/telemetered stations pro- only 6 hydrological monitoring stations that are opera- viding real-time data. Vanuatu's Institute for Research tional, 2 on Efate and 4 on Santo. These were estab- and Development has a volcano research project (Euro lished for water supply and hydro-power purposes and 2 million). Use is being made of internationally avail- in support of mining developments and not for long- able monitoring data for volcanoes and earthquakes, term monitoring for risk assessment (2 stations were but the data have limited scope for country-specific removed after they were no longer needed for immedi- application. ate development purposes). Yet, flooding is recognized as a major hazard, particularly in peri-urban Vila (Mele Earthquakes are recognized as posing significant risks and Teuma) and Luganville (Sarakata R), and the risks across the islands of Vanuatu. There is a reasonable are increasing with the growing population. Long-term understanding of the broad seismic hazard from past hydrological data to underpin risk reduction in such studies. However, there is lesser-detailed understand- areas do not exist. Moreover, the hydrological (and ing that depends on data. There is a seismic hazard other) data, both digital and paper, were destroyed by map available for greater Vila area but not for other fire in 2007. Efforts are underway to retrieve data from population centers such as Luganville. In terms of SOPAC and other regional and national databanks, but seismic earthquake monitoring, there was a 3-station the retrieval will only be partial. network on Efate, but it is dysfunctional due to the fire in 2007 (one accelerometer was also lost). The variability and extremes of rainfall are central to understanding the flood, drought, and water supply There is an historically, well-recognized, extensive risks facing the country. There is limited availability tsunami risk for coastal communities throughout of rainfall intensity data and analyses of extreme rain Vanuatu. The data on tsunami occurrence is sparse. events. Nonetheless, there are few rainfall stations in There is a proposal for a paleo-tsunami study and col- Vanuatu. The monitoring network, once quite exten- lection of oral histories, but funding can only be made sive prior to the country's independence, has dwindled. available for a small pilot project. There is only 1 automated weather station and 8 man- ual rain gauges, with 3-hourly readings and report- Cyclone tracking data are available to calculate fre- ing of daily rainfall. There is a proposal for 60 manual quencies but fall short of full risk estimation and eval- stations (for 10 provinces), which would need VUV3 uation due to lack of additional data and capability. million (US$30,000) for installation and VUV5 mil- Sea-level monitoring is carried out in Port Vila and lion (US$50,000) annually for operations. Luganville as part of SEAFRAME, but the observa- tional record is still quite short. In terms of volcanic hazards, there are 9 active vol- canoes, which are characterized as low-probability, Overall, only minimal monitoring or data analysis is high-impact hazards. However, there is only 1 per- being conducted, and ongoing data collection is not manent volcano monitoring station (on Tanna). There happening. There is little hydrological work sup- is limited water sampling of crater lakes at Ambae, porting hazard management, making future risk as- 16 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands sessments severely limited. This will be an issue for landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, coastal erosion, tropi- projects underway, such as the Millennium Challenge cal cyclones, floods, and droughts. The latter four are Account projects, which intend to climate-proof in- likely to be affected in future by climate and sea-level frastructural developments. changes and by an increasing population and devel- opment in urban and coastal locations (which largely Gaps coincide). n Paucity of historical time-series data for risk assess- ments. This is due both to loss of data records and to Despite these risks and the fact that there is a moder- degradation of data monitoring and collection sys- ately high level of awareness and commitment at the tems throughout the country. This insufficiency of national level for risk reduction, the understanding data inhibits analyses of frequency and magnitude and assessments available are only rudimentary with of extreme events and applies across the board to cli- regard to the degrees of risk, who is at risk, and where matological, hydrological, and geophysical systems. is the risk. Preliminary scoping of climate change n Lack of spatially distributed data sufficient to con- vulnerabilities and adaptation options on a province- struct hazard maps at scales appropriate for plan- by-province basis has been carried out as part of the ning and risk reduction. For climatic data, espe- NAPA process. For example, there are no tsunami cially rainfall, the network of station data is too hazard maps available other than a single scenario in- sparse for useful spatial interpolation. The lack of undation map for the Greater Vila area. While there spatially interpolated baseline climatologies limits is some information on areas prone to flooding based the ability to apply scenarios of climate change for on past events, there are no detailed flood maps that purposes of impact and adaptation assessments. could underpin the development of flood risk and land-use zoning. For most volcanoes, there are vol- n Absence of adequate data monitoring networks to canic hazard maps, largely derived from general un- meet future needs for vulnerability and risk assess- derstanding of specific volcanic hazards. A National ments. Across the range of geophysical, hydrologi- Water Strategy Plan has been prepared proposing risk cal, and climatic hazards, the absence of data col- assessments and vulnerability mapping. This work has lection will have repeated complications in future not commenced, and there is very little capacity to un- DRR and CCA projects unless concerted efforts dertake it. are made to upgrade the networks. n No procedures or capacity for systematic, consistent As noted, the biggest impediment to development of collection of damaged and loss data following disas- risk and vulnerability assessments and maps is the lack ters. The consequence of the lack of impact data is a of climatic, hydrological, and geophysical data. Digital constraint to economic analyses of DRR and CCA elevation models are also essential for some hazards benefits and to evaluation of benefits and costs of (e.g., for coastal and river flooding, tsunamis); this risk reduction and subsequent investments in DRR need is clearly recognized and steps are underway to and CCA programs by government and donors. supplement existing coarse resolution maps with high- resolution digital elevation models for vulnerable areas of the country. In addition, socio-economic informa- Vulnerability and risk assessments tion on at-risk populations, land use, and infrastruc- More than most other Pacific island countries, Vanuatu ture is patchy and not systematically geo-referenced faces a wide range of hazards, including earthquakes, and digitized for spatial analyses of hazard risks. Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 17 Responsibility for various aspects of vulnerability To a considerable extent, these three related gaps are and risk assessments is spread across several sectors acknowledged and addressed in the NAP and NAPA. and their associated ministries and departments. The With the country's keen interest to pursue, the NAPA Ministry of Meteorological Services has primary re- has sector-based CCA projects that all include vulner- sponsibility for climate-related data and analyses ability and risk assessments. and sees the expansion of climate data monitoring as a high priority. The Ministry of Lands and Natu- ral Resources has clearly recognized the paramount monitoring and evaluation importance of introducing a pro-active strategic and In general, there is no systematic monitoring and programmatic approach to land, water, and energy evaluation (M&E) of risk reduction efforts in Vanu- planning, which includes incorporating risk reduc- atu. There are efforts to assess damages in post-disas- tion. The Land Reform Policy under development ter situations, but these are largely ad hoc and are not will lead to a 5-year action plan that will include harmonized across hazards or carried out in such a land-use zoning maps and vulnerable area mapping, way that would allow systematic post-audit evaluation addressing both DRR and CCA issues. Consider- of long-term DRR programs or projects. In accor- able efforts in basic data collection will be essential dance with the Madang Pacific Regional Framework to underpin these efforts. for Action 2005-2015, the NAP recognizes the need for M&E for such purposes. Gaps n General absence of vulnerability and risk assessments The NAP has incorporated it as an integral compo- and maps required to plan and implement DRR and nent of the Provisional Indicative Implementation CCA activities. Filling this gap is a fundamental re- Program for the first 3 years of the 10-year national quirement for advancing concerted actions for risk action program. The NAPA for Vanuatu does not in- reduction in the country. corporate M&E as an element of any of its 5 prior- ity projects. It is expected that M&E will be included n No sense of identified priorities for vulnerability and with any implementation plan for the NAPA. risk assessments and mapping. With a few excep- tions, Vanuatu is starting from "square one" with Gaps regards to vulnerability and risk assessments. While n Absence of M&E reporting mechanisms with sector priorities were identified in the NAPA, there feedbacks to promote improvement; and now needs to be a systematic scoping and prioriti- n Undeveloped evaluative criteria and indicators ap- zation of hazards in relation to at-risk populations, propriate for M&E at national, sectoral, provincial, infrastructure, and areas--hotspots--as a basis for and community levels. developing vulnerability and risk assessments in support of town planning and rural development. Filling these gaps is fundamental for ensuring that the n Unavailability of models and tools for analyzing and risk reduction is a self-adjusting, dynamic, and sus- interpreting data for purposes of vulnerability and tainable process, as applied to both disaster risk reduc- risk assessments, risk profiles, and mapping. Even for tion and climate change adaptation in a harmonized the use of available data, there is a lack of tools (and fashion. It would be important for reporting to ensure human capacity) to convert them into information consistency with regional and international proce- required for DRR and CCA impact. dures and criteria. 18 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands Awareness raising and capacity Task Force that deal with CCA and DRR issues, re- building spectively. Capacity development is 1 of 8 major com- The National Disaster Management Office has had ponents in the NAP (representing 7 percent of the a public hazard and preparedness awareness program budget for the Provisional Indicative Implementation for a number of years principally run as the annual Program over the first 3 years) and an integral part of National Disaster Day with support from the Meteo- each of the 5 priority projects identified in the NAPA. rological Service and the Ministries of Education and One strategy is to use external consultants but not to Health. However resources are limited and provide for do the tasks at hand; rather they would build the in- only one province to be covered each year through the country capacity to carry out the work, thus ensuring schools and some communities. retention of capacity for further applications. One-day workshops are also run for government and Gaps provincial officers on cyclone season preparedness. The n Insufficient sustained awareness-raising activities, Geohazards Section within the Department of Geology, especially those directed at provincial and community Mines, and Water Resources runs awareness programs levels. Applying to both DRR and CCA activi- across the country from time to time. Risk reduction ties, filling this gap would be an important step in and CCA awareness is being added to these programs, strengthening the linkages between national, pro- but guidance on practical application is limited. vincial, and community levels of governance, which at present are rather disconnected. Within the Ministry of Education there is an element n A general shortage of capacity for DRR and CCA, es- of disaster risk reduction and management being pecially in the areas dealing with technical data anal- discussed for potential inclusion in nationwide cur- ysis and vulnerability and risk assessments. Filling riculum development, and there is potential support this gap is a fundamental requirement for advancing from UNESCO for treating Vanuatu as a pilot appli- concerted actions for risk reduction in the country. cation. This focused project would not include climate change adaptation at this stage. Because these gaps are well recognized and are built into the NAP and NAPA, donor funding and imple- As with most Pacific island countries, Vanuatu has mentation of the NAP and the NAPA projects would inadequate human resource capacity, generally across presumably jumpstart the much-needed improvements all sectors, and there are problems in retaining exper- in awareness raising and capacity building for Vanuatu. tise once the capacity is adequate. For Vanuatu, these deficiencies are most acute in the technical areas of knowledge gathering, data analysis, and interpretation Implementation of actual risk-reducing required for vulnerability and risk assessments. The measures limited capacity may prove to be a major constraint There are some success stories with regards to risk re- in plans to expand staff, partly to deal with DRR and duction in Vanuatu. Under the CCA rubric, the fol- CCA issues in certain ministries (e.g., the Ministry lowing NACCC-overseen projects were successfully for Lands plans to expand from 2 to 7 staff ). implemented: Capacity building is a high priority of many ministries n Pacific Island Climate Change Assistance Program --a point echoed by the NACCC and the National (PICCAP, 1997-2001). Funded by UNDP-GEF, Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 19 this was a regional enabling activity designed to Account project, another CCA effort, is aimed at cli- build capacity for national communications to the mate proofing infrastructure. UNFCCC. Under PICCAP, the NACCC success- fully engaged training in vulnerability and adap- With regard to disaster risk reduction, the NAP was tation assessment and implemented countrywide developed in 2006 as a 10-year plan to progressively awareness-raising activities. develop capacity for disaster management arrange- ments and for DRR mainstreaming across sectors and n Capacity Building for the Development of Adaptation throughout Government. A 3-year Provisional Indic- Measures for Pacific Island Countries (CBDAMPIC, ative Implementation Program has not commenced 2002-2006). This CIDA-funded, SPREP-executed due to lack of a funding mechanism. While some ad demonstration project aimed to mainstream adapta- hoc initiatives are being undertaken (particularly in tion into sustainable development at community and national levels. Vanuatu was one case study. Under health), the NAP has effectively stalled. Within the the project, a village (Tegua) was relocated to avoid Provisional Indicative Implementation Program is recurrent flooding and future sea-level rise, and rain- the establishment of a steering committee, a program water harvesting was implemented (Paama). At the management unit, and an organizational structure for national level, activities included mainstreaming into a disaster management unit. These are prerequisites national plans and environmental impact assess- for on-going development of the Provisional Indica- ments; development of draft climate change policy; tive Implementation Program and the NAP. and establishment of the Climate Change Core Team, the technical arm of the NACCC. Gaps For Vanuatu, the gaps leading to the eventual imple- n Development of the National Adaptation Plan of mentation of risk-reducing activities are embodied in Action (NAPA, 2004-2007). Funded by the UNDP the NAP and the NAPA, along with identified priori- and GEF, the NAPA was endorsed by the Council ty areas for funding. Vanuatu is the only country in the of Ministers in 2007. Pacific that has completed both a NAP and NAPA and, from the perspective of gap identification, is one Projects that are currently in progress or in develop- step ahead of most countries. ment include: n Vanuatu Climate Change Adaptation Project (VC- CAP), funded by AusAID, takes the lessons and Coordination among government capacity developed under CBDAMPIC and repli- agencies cates the process elsewhere. The DRR coordination mechanism is the National Task Force for Disaster Risk Management, which has n Second National Communications to the UNFCCC been inactive due to funding uncertainties. Coordi- (SNC) is funded by UNDP and GEF. nation among agencies is not occurring and develop- n Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project ment of disaster risk management is stalled (PACC), funded by GEF, includes climate proofing of coastal infrastructure for Vanuatu. The CCA coordination mechanism is the NACCC, which has led to the preparation of the NAPA and The above projects all involve guidance and coordina- the identification of initiatives within the Ministry of tion under the NACCC. The Millennium Challenge Lands and Natural Resources. With funding for the 20 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands NAPA implementation from the GEF Pacific Alli- AusAID, NZAID, and the European Union are sig- ance for Sustainability, the coordination role of the nificant regional-level funders. These major donors NACCC will strengthen and should include M&E see this as appropriate for the cross-sectoral and cross- elements. The opportunity exists to integrate imple- cutting nature of both DRR and CCA issues. Howev- mentation of disaster risk management and the NAP, er, that makes in-country engagement and implemen- gaining strength from the NACCC arrangement. tation problematic for programs that by their nature need funding for 10 years or more. Particularly since Impediments AusAID and NZAID in-country saw their focus as Stalled commitment to implementation of the NAP. If sectoral, the DRR and CCA issues did not register the activity for disaster risk management loses energy, significantly in their decisionmaking. it could get left behind. This would mean develop- ment of provincial and local arrangements would re- The UNDP is engaged in a small pilot community- main slow and would be unavailable for the develop- based program for creating resilient communities. ment of local-level CCA initiatives. The opportunity Red Cross has an involvement on the NACCC and exists to integrate DRR and CCA arrangements with with the National Disaster Management Office and is advantages for both. looking to use its connections with communities and provinces to improve communications at the national level. Coordination among donors and key stakeholders Impediments The relatively little in-country bilateral donor support n Government is not raising these issues as priorities for to either DRR or CCA initiatives was due on one hand engagement with donors in-country. As noted previ- because sector plans were evolving from the broader- ously, this is partly a result of a Government ex- based National Task Force and NACCC and on the pectation of regional funding. Discussion is needed other hand because the Government had not raised between the parties to address this. DRR and CCA issues as priorities for engagement with donors in-country. Donors felt the mechanisms n Sector plans for CCA initiatives are not yet developed. for engagement with the National Task Force and the The basis for concrete discussion with donors and NACCC were weak, reflected in their lack of involve- for coordination will come with the development ment in preparation of the NAP and the NAPA. of explicit sector plans. v Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 21 Opportunities for Investment F rom the Vanuatu country assessment, it is evi- financial institutions identified the list of priorities. dent from the gaps and impediments that many The Government could choose to pursue any of these opportunities for investment leading to the options with its own resources, with support from the improvement of risk reduction can be identified. The international donor community, and/or international NAP and the NAPA alone identify a considerable ar- financial institutions such as the Asian Develop- ray of priorities, strategies, and actions necessary for ment Bank and the World Bank. Grant funding for environmental improvement and hazard manage- Vanuatu is being mobilized from the Global Facility ment, including risk reduction, for Vanuatu. for Disaster Reduction and Recovery to support pi- lot programs, which could be leveraged to undertake This assessment highlights country status, gaps, op- some of the proposed investments, based on demand. portunities, and barriers related to national policies, Funding would be expected to support programs from strategies, plans, and activities with regards to the 2009-11. management of natural hazards. This focus extends to the enabling environment for a comprehensive In narrowing the field of project opportunities, the as- risk management approach to natural hazards and sessment team applied two additional sets of filters or the capacity to undertake such a comprehensive ap- criteria. The first set requires the projects to meet the proach, including institutional arrangements, human following filters: resources, public awareness, information, and national budget allocations. In most discussions among key n Address risk reduction directly; government officials and other stakeholders, invest- n Produce tangible results within three years; ment programs are prioritized and selected based on expectations of several criteria (costs, available fund- n Have longer-term sustainable benefits; and ing, efficiency, expected benefits, institutional, finan- n Have in-country commitment, champions, and/or cial, legal, and related capacity). institutional arrangements to promote implemen- tation. Vanuatu and most of the Pacific island countries have established policies, institutions, systems, and related Screened by this first set of criteria and with addition- structures to address DRR/CCA challenges. The al consultation and expert judgment, five priorities for NAP, NAPA, and several other programs have been investment were identified. These five project oppor- prepared and are ready to be enacted. However, there tunities follow, along with a summary of the rationale are significant gaps in the 5 key HFA priority areas. for each in relation to the above criteria and as linked While some efforts have begun to address certain to the assessment. issues, those of funding, staffing, and related opera- tional support persist without concrete plans. Several (1) Risk mapping to support town planning and village participants in the assessment process have identified development. This project entails developing haz- high-yielding, short-term priority issues; but this se- ard and risk mapping capabilities through facili- lection requires more effort to fully categorize such tating piloted hazard and risk mapping exercises needs and decide upon appropriate corresponding for the town of Luganville and for the Shefa pro- short-, medium-, and long-term programs. vincial area of Port Vila, Mele, and Teouma. In the first instance, the benefits of this project would ex- Vanuatu policymakers, sector officials (in consulta- tend to issues of land-use planning and regulation tion with local stakeholders), and various donors and and would therefore inform the land use policy 22 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands framework and strategic plans being developed by focus on (a) the development of risk profiles and the Ministry of Lands, Water, and Energy. In the assessments of existing tourism facilities (with the longer term, such capacities are required for sus- potential for extension to other sectors by way of tainable development in rapidly growing regions example); (b) the development of guidelines for of Vanuatu. future tourism developments; and (c) a component involving pilot applications to demonstrate DRR (2) Support to the integration of the NAPA and NAP and CCA benefits for the industry as a whole. implementation. It is clear that, subject to funding, the Vanuatu Government is committed to mov- (4) Awareness raising and education to foster links be- ing forward with the NAP, has a reasonable un- tween national, provincial, and community gov- derstanding of the connections between DRR and ernance, planning, and implementation. There CCA, and is being pro-active in integrating efforts are large differences between the rural and urban across sectors. However, the success of NAP de- Vanuatu. About 80 percent of the population lives pends heavily on its management unit to act as both in rural villages, largely on a subsistence basis with the champion and driver of the process. This is cur- limited employment opportunities, while the cash rently the weak link, and it lacks the resources and economy is centered primarily in Port Vila and Lu- capacity to do so. With funding now committed to ganville. The economic and social differences com- the implementation of the NAPA, the opportunity pound the large gaps or disconnections between exists to integrate arrangements to manage the im- national, provincial, and community levels of orga- plementation of the NAP and the NAPA in a way nizational arrangement. This is a major impediment that adds value to both areas--the NAP through to implementation of systematic risk reduction at development of a provincial and local arrangement local level. Programs of awareness raising and edu- and the NAPA through the strength of its coordi- cation have been identified during the NAP and nation function for Government. NAPA processes as fundamental to bridging these gaps and fostering links between the organizational (3) Promoting DRR and CCA in the tourism sector for levels. A timely project would involve development Vanuatu. As explained in the NAPA, tourism de- of the content, approaches, and procedures for ef- velopments are proliferating in Vanuatu, mostly in fectively and efficiently achieving this goal through coastal locations with little regard for hazards and pilot projects, in the first instance. reducing risk and no regard for potential climate change effects. Sustainable tourism and coastal (5) Support for Ministry of Lands and Natural Re- land use therefore depend, in large part, on the sources in reforming land-use policy and regulation. systematic reduction of those risks. The key ele- The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources ments of this potential project are contained with- is undertaking a land reform program, including in the tourism project outlined in the NAPA and the development of a land use policy linking all therefore have been endorsed by the Council of the islands, followed by a set of strategic plans for Ministers. However, this proposed project is not implementing the policy. Land-use zoning will as extensive as that contained in the NAPA. It is be a central tenet of the policy and strategy, and much more focused and is narrowed to a more DRR and CCA components will be central aims manageable set of activities, which are consid- of land-use zoning. However, the capacity is defi- ered "do-able" in a shorter timeframe, with a high cient in terms of both technical skills for hazard chance of success. Nonetheless, it still contains a and risk mapping, as well as mainstreaming in Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 23 policy and plans. This proposed project provides priority projects can be viewed as complementary and technical support at a critical time to build the re- therefore as opportunities for the World Bank to add quired capacity and to facilitate key components. value. Two of these activities have been included in the NAPA implementation project: (1) Risk mapping These 5 opportunities for investment were subjected and (5) Support for the Ministry of Lands and Natural to a second filter by asking the question, Which of the Resources. opportunities are already, or are likely, to be supported by other donors and agencies? The intent of applying this In Annex A, each proposed opportunity is expand- second filter was to determine where the World Bank ed to provide preliminary information on indicative could add value in a coordinated and harmonized costs, timeframes, and first-order actions and tasks. manner in relation to other players in the region. One This information is intended to be sufficient for the of the 5 opportunities fell into this category: Project development of detailed proposals and terms of ref- (4), Awareness raising and education, which might be erence should the World Bank wish to pursue these conducted by SOPAC. On this basis, the 4 remaining opportunities for further investment. v 24 Annex A. Proposals for support to Vanuatu Proposal V1 Risk mapping to support town planning and village development Country/sector VANUATU: Lands, Hydrology, Development planning Scope Land-use planning in Luganville (santo) and the mele-Teouma Plains (Efate); demonstration Goal and purpose sustainable hazard risk-reduction as part of the land-use planning and zoning, through identifying vulnerable areas and providing essential capacity building in risk mapping to guide land-use zoning for urban and rural environments Lad agency ministry of Lands and Natural Resources with Geohazards, Rural Water Resources, meteorological service, municipalities, French, Vanuatu, and mele Red Cross societies, Ports, sOPAC Cost and duration Us$600,000 over 3 years Risk reduction Cost Time- Hazards targeted measures Key gaps/barriers Actions and tasks Us$k frame Riverine flooding Appropriate Lack of basic climate and Support a demonstration program for the 320 Year 1 risk-mapping hazard data collection communities of Luganville and the Mele-Teouma Storm surge/wave 160 Year 2 methodologies capabilities Plains to: Tsunami developed for urban 120 Year 3 Lack of capacity to assess · Identify and map all hazards including and rural areas Earthquake risks potential changes in climate variability Land-use practices and Flash flooding Lack of knowledge on land · Assess vulnerabilities and engage with infrastructure improved use management communities in assessing risks Polluted/high to reduce risk groundwater table Risk mapping not · Establish development zones and other High-risk zones integrated into planning risk mitigation measures for community avoided in communities process assets and infrastructure Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands Local capacity to · Develop disaster management manage disasters arrangements and warning arrangements improved for flooding and storm surge Include measures in provincial and district plans Monitor and evaluate on-going effectiveness Continues Annex A. Proposals for support to Vanuatu Continues Proposal V2 support to the NAP implementation and its integration with arrangements for CCA, the NAPA. Country/sector Vanuatu: DRm/CCA Cross sector Scope Establishment of the DRm arrangements through the initial implementation of the NAP and integration with arrangements for CCA Goal and purpose National Lad agency Dept of Internal Affairs, with National Task Force and NDmO, NACCC and meteorological service Cost and duration $300,000 over 2 years Risk reduction Cost Time- Hazards targeted measures Key gaps/barriers Actions and tasks Us$k frame All hazards Establish structures for Lack of capacity to Address issues of integration of arrangements integrated DRM/CCA manage initial set up and for DRM and CCA and establish a management 300 Years 1-3 in Vanuatu implementation of the NAP structure for implementation of the NAPA and including the establishment NAP Provincial and local of DRM arrangements structures will benefit Support the TA role over two years to facilitate CCA initiatives the initial implementation. Implement the on-going Address funding issues for the on-going elements of the NAP implementation of the NAP Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 25 26 Annex A. Proposals for support to Vanuatu Continues Proposal V3 Promote DRR and CCA in the tourism sector for Vanuatu Country/sector VANUATU: Tourism Scope sustainable tourism, through reducing risks to tourism facilities Goal and purpose Coastal locations; demonstration Lad agency National Tourism Development Office with NACCC, meteorological service Cost and duration Us$475,000 over 3 years Risk reduction Cost Time- Hazards targeted measures Key gaps/barriers Actions and tasks Us$k frame Cyclonic wind and Avoidance of high-risk Limited knowledge Prepare hazard risk profiles for a range of 75 Year 1 storm surge zones within coastal concerning hazard/risk existing tourism facilities for key areas, including 2.5 areas zones exposure to climate change related risks in months Flooding order to understand the extent of risk exposure. Modify infrastructure Risk issues not design to reduce risks mainstreamed into tourism Develop a development guideline for future 250 Year 2 Coastal erosion and development policies, tourism developments to address this risk 8 months Early warning and plans and regulations. exposure (which has the potential to severely Drought/water supply evacuation impact the industry nationwide). The guideline Contingency/evacuation Coastal management should address: Tsunami plans not developed, low to enhance natural awareness · Requirements for risk analysis and risk resilience treatment for tourism developments Lack of knowledge and Alternative energy and including building code requirements, awareness to minimize water supplies (e.g., coastal zone management etc. Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands coastal impacts rain-water harvesting). · Contingency/evacuation plans for tourism Lack of awareness of Water and waste-water developments and enhancing awareness. benefits and costs of management water management · Procedures and guidelines for beach alternatives management and conservation and for monitoring · Alternatives for managing water supply and demand in variable and changing climate Promulgating application of the guidelines in 150 Year 3 order to demonstrate the benefits of DRR and 4 months CCA to tourism developments and to promote nation-wide application. Annex A. Proposals for support to Vanuatu Proposal V4 support for ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in reforming Land-Use Policy and Regulation Country/sector VANUATU: Lands Scope Land-use policy and regulation addressing risks arising from climate change and natural hazards Goal and purpose National, land management Lad agency ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Cost and duration Us$480,000 over 3 years Risk reduction Cost Time- Hazards targeted measures Key gaps/barriers Actions and tasks US$k frame Land use zoning Lack of capacity within Develop a strategic framework for a 120 3rd Earthquake Ministry Lands in the land-use regulatory regime related to (5 months) Quarter Landslide development of land-use risk, including provincial and community 2008 Tsunami regulations consultation Cyclonic wind 40 Lack of regulatory Develop and implement an action plan to Storm surge (2 months) 2009 mechanisms to address meet the needs of the project. Storm wave land-use in the face Groundwater Develop land-use policy framework and 120 of natural hazards in a pollution link all Vanuatu islands in a common (6 months) holistic manner Riverine flooding regulatory regime. Incomplete hazard risk 120 Championing, adoption and mapping of Vanuatu (6 months) 2010 demonstration through a pilot zoning Customary land tenure program on one island 80 1st Quarter systems Carry out provincial and community (4 months) 2011 awareness and implementation program Republic of Vanuatu Country Assessment 27 28 Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands References and select Bibliography Bettencourt, Sofia, Richard Croad, Paul Freeman, John Hay, Roger Jones, Peter King, Padma Lal, Alan Mearns, Geoff Miller, Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, Alf Simpson, Nakibae Teuatabo, Ulric Tritz, and Maarten Van Aalst. Not If, But When: Adapting to Natural Hazards in the Pacific Island Region. Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2005. 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Prepared the World Bank and SOPAC under the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Financing Initiative World Bank. (Draft) Pacific Catastrophe Risk Financing Initiative 2009. East Asia and the Pacific Region The World Bank 1818 H St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20433 http://www.worldbank.org/eap Special thanks and appreciation are extended to the partners* who support GFDRR's work to protect livelihood and improve lives: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, spain, sweden, switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United states, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and The World Bank. *In bold, GFDRR Donors