Pacific delegates meet ACP, EU and World Bank/GFDRR to discuss achievements and opportunities in strengthening disaster and climate resilience in the Pacific

7 July, 2014, Brussels – Government officials from Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon Islands met with representatives from the ACP Secretariat, the European Commission, and the World Bank/Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) to discuss achievements and future directions in strengthening disaster and climate resilience in the Pacific region. The country delegates highlighted the progress achieved in implementing national resilience agendas and results particularly in the areas of early warning systems and catastrophe risk insurance, and expressed appreciation for the support received through the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) Program.

The meeting acknowledged the effective partnership between the government agencies, the ACP Secretariat, the European Commission and GFDRR/ World Bank teams, and confirmed the strong demand to scale up and continue building resilience in the Pacific countries given their high exposure to climate risk and natural disasters risks. The participants agreed on the importance of reinforcing this collaboration in light of the upcoming Third International UN Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Samoa, as well as the next Climate Summits in New York, Lima and Paris. The meeting was attended by Mr. Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Vanuatu; H.E Roy Mickey Joy, Ambassador of Vanuatu to the EU; Ms. 'Ana Fakaola 'I Fanga Lemani, Acting Deputy Secretary for Procurement, Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Tonga; Mr. Stanley Joel Waleanisia, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey, the Solomon Islands; Ms. Michele Dominique Raymond, Assistant Secretary General of the ACP Secretariat; Mr. Marcus Cornaro, Deputy Director General, DG DEVCO, European Commission, with colleagues from the European Commission; and Ms. Zoubida Allaoua, Senior Regional Advisor for East Asia and the Pacific, the World Bank, along with World Bank and GFDRR staff.