Pacific humanitarians meet to strengthen disaster response

(Suva, 28 October 2014): Humanitarians from across the Pacific have gathered in Suva today to strengthen disaster response and coordination in the region.

More than 120 participants are attending the 7th Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT) Regional Meeting from 28-30 October 2014. The annual meeting is organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and brings together over 100 humanitarian partners in the region.

“A key element of the meeting is sharing best practices and building relationships ahead of emergencies,” said Sune Gudnitz, Head of OCHA’s Regional Office for the Pacific. “In a region with limited dedicated humanitarian capacity, we need to find ways to work more effectively and efficiently together in support of Pacific Island governments and affected communities.”

The meeting will assess the 2013-2014 cyclone season, including Super Typhoon Haiyan in Palau, Tropical Cyclone Ian in Tonga, King Tides in the Marshall Islands, Tropical Cyclone Lusi in Vanuatu and severe flash flooding in the Solomon Islands.

National disaster management representatives from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Cook Islands,
Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu will draw on operational examples from recent emergencies and discuss how partners can better support response efforts. Humanitarian partners include UN agencies, Red Cross, civil-society organizations, donors and the private sector.

“While there are challenges in our humanitarian work, it is also important to highlight that a lot of things are going well,” said Mr. Gudnitz. “Innovation and ‘thinking-outside-the-box’ is critical to progress, and many partners in the region are doing so with great achievements.”

The meeting will conclude with an introduction to World Humanitarian Summit consultations, due to take place in Auckland in July 2015. The aim of these consultations is to take stock, share best practices and identify proposals to shape future humanitarian action that will be discussed at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016.

Further information about the meeting is available at http://pacifichumanitarian.info

Background

The PHT is a network of partners with the capability and capacity to assist Pacific Island Countries and Territories to prepare for and respond to disasters in the region. The PHT was established by OCHA in 2008 to ensure a more effective, predictable and accountable international humanitarian response.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Elisabeth McLeod, OCHA Regional Office for the Pacific, mcleode@un.org, Mobile: +679 777 1433 OCHA Regional Office for the Pacific press releases are available at www.unocha.org/rop or www.reliefweb.int.