SPC shares lessons for resilience to disasters

Transcript

Pacific researchers and service providers of disaster and emergency response gathered in Wellington this week for the 2014 Australasian Fire and Emergency Service conference

The 30 Pacific delegates join over a thousand of their counterparts from Asia, Australia and New Zealand to share experiences and exchange research under the theme "Learning from Adversity"

The Deputy Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Disaster Risk Reduction programme Mosese Sikivou was one of three presenters on disaster management in the Pacific.

He spoke with Koroi Hawkins about disaster risk reduction in the region.

MOSESE SIKIVOU: You know you have climate change that's been much talked about, climate variability so more severe extreme weather events. Between that living with disasters is something we have lived with for a certain period of time. Over time given the nature of the environment given the way that we've developed in many ways we are a whole lot more vulnerable. Not as resilient and so there's a continuing battle now to continue to do things to raise our level of resilience. To make our populations less vulnerable than they previously were.

KOROI HAWKINS: Why are partnerships important in this?

MS: Reducing disaster risk is everybody's business governments cant do it alone they need to work with representatives of the community, they need to work with civil society, they need to work with the private sector, faith based organisations. All of us have a role to play. My organization has been trying to provide the support directly itself and also to rally support from a range of development partners and donors to support the countries in their efforts.

KH: With the conference here what is the relevance of it?

MS: It's an opportunity to be exposed to learn from how disaster risk management is being dealt with specifically in a New Zealand and Australian context, there's a lot of research that's being shared hopefully that will lead to, says for example, innovative ideas on how you can do things differently. To provide this opportunity to establish and strengthen partnerships to address the work that needs to be dealt with back home.

KH: Any final words?

MS: Well, just to say we are very grateful to Australasian Fire and Emergency services council for inviting us to participate and that invitation was extended to the region the Pacific Islands countries last year so a number of them have shown up here and hopefully this is a relationship we can maintain moving forward.