Attachments
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Vanuatu is an archipelago of over 80 islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Its population of more than 300,000 people, the Ni-Vanuatu, have faced a changing environment for centuries, and their lifestyle, traditional knowledge, skills, and practices underpin their ability to thrive.
Adaptability will be important in the coming decades as climate change further influences the hazard landscape.
Natural hazards confronted by Vanuatu include cyclones, volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, and sea level rise. Nearly the entire population resides along the coastline and is, therefore, exposed to sea level rise, storm surges, and tsunamis. There is a 56.8% likelihood of a disaster occurring every year in the country. On average annually, these disasters affect some 12% of the population and contribute to a loss of 42.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Tropical cyclones and volcanic eruptions have the largest economic impact.
Damage from the 2018 Manaro Voui volcano eruption elicited a US$3.4 million budget allocation from the government to address displacement and lost livelihoods.1 Since the major impacts of Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam in 2015, Vanuatu has undertaken disaster management reforms to focus more on risk mitigation and prevention actions rather than disaster response. This reform was codified in the Disaster Risk Management Law of 2019, which outlined the lead government agencies and national structures for disaster response. This law tasks the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) with coordination of preparedness and response across Vanuatu. The NDMO falls under the Ministry of Climate Change and Adaptation, Meteorology and Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and National Disaster Management (MOCCA); the Ministry also chairs the work of the National Disaster Committee, which is responsible for developing strategies and polices for disaster management. As the central hubs, the NDMO and Ministry target effective coordination among disaster and climate change stakeholders at national, provincial, and community levels before and after disasters.
Given the clear threat posed by climate change to Vanuatu, climate change adaptation (CCA) is an inseparable part of disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities. MOCCA oversees work to strengthen the country’s climate change networks internationally, nationally, and at the sub-national level. The Ministry’s Department of Climate Change integrates representatives of national and provincial governments alongside community groups and non-governmental organizations (NGO). The country is bolstered by its strong international relationships. Already, the Vanuatu Humanitarian Team (VHT) and Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT) – networks of United Nations (UN), humanitarian, and development actors – support Vanuatu in mobilizing assistance and coordinating aid. These networks, along with Vanuatu’s regional engagement, especially in the Pacific Islands Forum, provide the country a means to integrate CCA and DRR.
The country’s economy is dominated by the services sector, which accounts for two-thirds of GDP, while agriculture employs or supports 80% of the population. Because of its reliance on agriculture and tourism and the importance of imports, Vanuatu’s economy is highly exposed to international shocks and to the impacts of natural disasters. It has experienced disruptions since early 2020, which marked the simultaneous disasters of TC Harold and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) shutdowns that, together, caused a massive reduction in GDP. Tourism was rebounding after borders reopened although storms and earthquakes in 2023 again damaged infrastructure, houses, and crops, and all but ensured that inflation would remain high and the population would confront food insecurity. Both sectors will continue to face headwinds as climate change impacts rainfall, labor force productivity, and international travel.