Vanuatu NAB Search
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Vanuatu is among the most vulnerable countries on earth to the increasing impacts of climate change, including climate-related natural disasters and the effects of slow-onset events such as sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
As the effects of global warming manifest and the hazards of climate change arise at accelerating rates, there is a need to shift the paradigm towards the standardised and mainstreamed use of science-based climate information, at multiple timescales, to support resilient development pathways.
The proposed project will support this paradigm shift through the strengthening and application of Climate Information Services (CIS) in five targeted development sectors: tourism; agriculture; infrastructure; water and fisheries.
More specifically, the project will build the technical capacity in Vanuatu to harness and manage climate data; develop and deliver practical CIS tools and resources; support enhanced coordination and dissemination of tailored information; enhance CIS information and technology infrastructure; and support the application of relevant CIS through real-time development processes, for more resilient outcomes.
The project has a focus on addressing information gaps and priority needs of target beneficiaries at national, provincial and local community levels across the five priority sectors.
The project will deliver enhanced:
capacity and capability of national development agents, to understand, access and apply CIS
CIS communications, knowledge products, tools, and resources for practical application to development processes.
reliability, functionality, utility and timeliness of underlying CIS delivery systems and data collection infrastructure.
scientific data, information and knowledge of past, present and future climate to facilitate innovated and resilient development.
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The Government of Vanuatu, with the guidance of the Recovery Operations Centre (ROC) conducted a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pacific Community (SPC). The PDNA, which took place during the months of April and May 2023, was implemented in collaboration with ADB, FAO, UNFPA, UNWOMEN, UNICEF, WHO, ILO, the World Bank.
The purpose of the PDNA was to identify the damage and loss caused by TC Judy and Kevin across all sectors, to assess the macro-economic and human impact of these disasters, to estimate the recovery needs in all sectors, and to inform Vanuatu’s short-, medium- and long-term recovery and reconstruction process through a well-planned Recovery Plan aligned to the country’s National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030. This report presents the final results of the PDNA.
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EXTREME HEAT IMPACTS ON ELECTRICITY DEMAND IN EFATE
This case study examines the impact of temperature on electricity demand in Efate. Guidance around conducting this type of step-by-step assessment is provided in more detail on the Van-KIRAP web portal, along with other case studies (called infobytes), factsheets, visualisation tools and technical resources. This case study can be used as an example for undertaking similar climate hazard-based impact assessments.
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MARINE HEATWAVE IMPACTS ON SEAGRASS IN VANUATU
This case study examines the impacts of climate change on marine heatwaves and seagrass in Vanuatu. Guidance around conducting this type of step-by-step assessment is provided in more detail on the Van-KIRAP web portal, along with other climate impact related case studies (also termed infobytes), factsheets, visualisation tools and technical resources. This case study can be used as an example for undertaking similar climate hazard-based impact assessments.
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CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WATER SECURITY IN VANUATU
This case study describes climate change impacts on water security in Vanuatu, using a step-bystep approach. Guidance around conducting this type of step-by-step assessment is provided in more detail on the Van-KIRAP web portal, along with other climate impact related case studies (also termed infobytes), factsheets, visualisation tools and technical resources. This case study can be used as an example for undertaking similar climate hazard-based impact assessments.
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Van-KIRAP will support VGMD to provide five target sectors, including the Department of Agricultureand its stakeholders with climate information ready to be used in current and planned activities. Asector Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture will co-ordinate the Agriculture and ClimateAction and Communication Plan to advance the mainstreaming of climate information services intoagricultural policy, planning, design and delivery.
This document reviews existing information on climate and climate change as they affect Vanuatu’sagriculture sector and summarises current policies, strategies and frameworks. It provides theAgriculture Climate Action Plan and Communication Plan developed through a collaboration betweenthe Department of Agriculture and the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD).
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Van-KIRAP will support VGMD to provide five target sectors, including the Department of Agricultureand its stakeholders with climate information ready to be used in current and planned activities. Asector Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture will co-ordinate the Agriculture and ClimateAction and Communication Plan to advance the mainstreaming of climate information services intoagricultural policy, planning, design and delivery.
This document reviews existing information on climate and climate change as they affect Vanuatu’sagriculture sector and summarises current policies, strategies and frameworks. It provides theAgriculture Climate Action Plan and Communication Plan developed through a collaboration betweenthe Department of Agriculture and the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD).
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Pacific Tool for Resilience
PARTneR will enable Pacific government Ministries and stakeholder organisation to effectively developed and used risk-based information to support development decision making on DRR & DRM
PARTneR will tailor RiskScape, a disaster impact mapping and modelling software developed jointly with New Zealand NIWA and GNS science.
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The ‘Coping with climate change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR)’ programme aims to strengthen the capacities of Pacific member countries and regional organisations to cope with the impacts of climate change. The programme is funded by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented through GIZ working in partnership with SPC and SPREP.
The programme commenced its activities in 2009 working with Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. In 2011 the program was expanded to another nine Pacific Island Countries, namely the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the duration has been extended until 2019. The programme brief available at http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=478&Itemid=44 gives further details.
At the regional level, the programme aligns with the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP). The programme will support countries in implementing key strategic priorities in the area of climate change including, where relevant, their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Programmes for Action (NAPA), National Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and other relevant national strategies, polices and plans.
The overall objective of the programme is that ‘the capacities of regional organisations in the Pacific Islands region and its member states to adapt to climate change and mitigate its causes are strengthened’. This objective will be achieved through six components highlighted below.
Component 1: Strengthening regional advisory and management capacity
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Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam was one of the worstnatural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. Thecountry suffered loss and damage to an extentthat vastly overwhelmed its own capacities. Astrong El Niño, in the months following the cyclone, actedas additional multiplier for existing development problems,especially with regard to water and food securityin rural areas. In many ways, the cyclone and its impactsreflect political, conceptual and operational challengesthat lie at the heart of the current debate on loss anddamage (L&D) and clearly illustrate the need for comprehensiveclimate risk management (CRM).TC Pam has been recognised as an opportunity to learnlessons and draw up recommendations for [German]development cooperation (DC) and its partners in theregion on how to address the issue of comprehensiveclimate risk management, including climate risk insurance.The objectives of this study were to identify thoselessons in order to inform Germany’s current and futureregional cooperation in Vanuatu and the South Pacificregion.This report gives an overview and socio-economiccharacteristics, disaster risk and CRM institutions andprogrammes in Vanuatu and the region and providesbackground on activities of German development cooperation.It further presents the main findings on lessonslearned from the response and recovery phase basedon a review of available documentation and a mission toVanuatu in October 2015. The last chapter details recommendationsdeveloped by the mission team.Climate change represents one of the greatest challengesfacing the South Pacific region. In response to thesechallenges, the Pacific is the first region in the world thatintegrates climate change and disaster risk managementinto a single overarching regional strategy. A number of
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This Outlook provides a summary of climate events during 2017 - 2018 tropical cyclone season.
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The Government of Vanuatu recognises that effective institutions and the inter-relationships between them are at the heart of its ability to respond to growing climate and disaster risks. To this end, a comprehensive analysis of climate and disaster risk governance is undertaken.
A critical precursor is the development of a risk profile for Vanuatu that identifies the key risks and vulnerabilities that Vanuatu's risk governance institutions must address. Currently there is no single, up-to-date and easily accessible document that summarises the major studies of risk undertaken to date.
This “Profile of risks from climate change and geohazards in Vanuatu” report describes the activities and results of the risk profiling
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The Mini Census was conducted in response to the recent disasters affecting the country, to update the list of households affected by the disasters. The Mini Census also provide an opportunity to update basic counts of certain government programs and policies.
Apart from basic count of population and households, information such as the birth certificate registration, the electoral card registration, the RSE/SWP participation and people with bank accounts can be found in the report. Other household information include disaster related information, use of telecommunication network, agriculture, fisheries and livestock information, use of solar lighting and value adding activities. There is information on water, sanitation and many more.
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The Government of Vanuatu has decided to develop an oceans policy, which aligns with recommendations from theCommonwealth Secretariat.This report summarises the main findings1 of an analysis and assessment of 69 instruments of legislation andsubordinate policies and plans that are relevant to management and use of Vanuatu’s territorial waters and thereforerelevant to the development of the national oceans policy. The review of Vanuatu’s legislation, policies, strategies andplans relating to oceans management is part of the Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Management in Pacific IslandCountries (MACBIO) project.The approach to the review involved an analytical framework comprising three components:1. Individual analysis of legislation, policies, strategies and plans;2. Integration of individual analyses into an assessment table for comparative analysis and assessment; and3. A report which provides an assessment narrative based on the individual analyses and the information from theassessment table.
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The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drives substantial variability in tropical cyclone (TC) activity around the world1–3 . However, it remains uncertain how the projected future changes in ENSO under greenhouse warming4–8 will aect TC activity, apart from an expectation that the overall frequency of TCs is likely to decrease for most ocean basins9–11. Here we show robust changes in ENSO-driven variability in TC occurrence by the late twenty-first century. In particular, we show that TCs become more frequent (∼20–40%) during future-climate El Niño events compared with present-climate El Niño events—and less frequent during future-climate La Niña events—around a group of small island nations (for example, Fiji, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands and Hawaii) in the Pacific. We examine TCs across 20 models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 database12, forced under historical and greenhouse warming conditions. The 12 most realistic models identified show a strong consensus on El Niño-driven changes in future-climate large-scale environmental conditions that modulate development of TCs over the o-equatorial western Pacific and the central North Pacific regions. These results have important implications for climate change and adaptation pathways for the vulnerable Pacific island nations.
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Coastal fisheries provide staple food and sources of livelihood in Pacific Island countries, and securing a sustainable supply is recognised as a critical priority for nutrition security. This study sought to better understand the role of fish for Pacific Island communities during disasters and in disaster recovery. To evaluate community impacts and responses after natural disasters, focus group discussions were held with men and women groups at ten sites across Shefa, Tafea, Malampa and Sanma provinces in Vanuatu. The combined impacts of category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam (TC-Pam) in March 2015 and prolonged El-Niño induced drought have had a profound impact across much of Vanuatu. Terrestrial systems had been disproportionately impacted with substantial shortages in drinking water, garden crops, cash crops and damage to infrastructure. Localized impacts were noted on marine environments from TC-Pam and the drought, along with an earthquake that uplifted reef and destroyed fishing grounds in Malampa province. Communities in Malampa and Shefa provinces also noted a crown-of-thorns outbreak that caused coral mortality. The significant reduction in terrestrial-based food and income generation capacity generally led to increased reliance on marine resources to cope and a shift in diets from local garden food to rice. However, limited market access, lack of fishing skills and technology in many sectors of the community reduced the capacity for marine resources to support recovery. A flexible management approach allowed protected areas and species to be utilized as reservoirs of food and income when temporarily opened to assist recovery. These findings illustrate that fish and fisheries management is at the center of disaster preparedness and relief strategies in remote Pacific Island communities. High physical capital (e.g.
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In 2013, the Government of Vanuatu and UNDP requested technical assistance from the USAID funded Adapt Asia-Pacific Project to support four specialists, including an International Gender Advisor, to prepare the “Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone in Vanuatu Project” (VCAP). The USAID Adapt Advisors worked closely with the UNDP funded consultants and staff from all implementing partner (IP) agencies including the Ministry of Climate Change (MCC), the Department of Local Authorities (DLA), the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department (VMGD) in preparing the project. In-country design work, including visits to all proposed V-CAP sites, was carried out in late 2013.
The aim of the project is: “To improve the resilience of the coastal zone in Vanuatu to the impacts of climate change in order to sustain livelihoods, food production and preserve/improve the quality of life in targeted vulnerable areas”.
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Between May 2013 and December 2014, CARE implemented a disaster risk reduction project in Vanuatu’s TAFEA province. The Yumi Redi 2 project aimed to increase the capacity of vulnerable communities to prepare for and respond to disasters. This case study of the village of Dillons Bay (on Errromango island) illustrates the impact of this project on the community’s practices before, during and after Cyclone Pam. Striking Vanuatu on March 13th 2015, this category five cyclone was one of the worst storms ever to hit the region.
In particular, this case study highlights the impact of the DIPECHO and Australian Aid funded project on the community’s capacity to share DRR messages; understand, heed and disseminate emergency warnings; prepare at household and community level; identify and manage evacuation centres; evacuate the community; consider the needs of vulnerable people; conduct needs assessments; develop links between various authorities within and outside the community; develop and support strong leaders and manage the initial emergency response until additional help arrives.
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This vocabulary was created as part of the Griffith University Pacific iClim Project. The Project has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative Government Partnerships for Development Program to support SPREP in implementing a regional approach to climate change data and information management throughout the Pacific.
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Vanuatu, an archipelago of 80 islands with a population of approximately 250,000, is among the most disaster-prone countries in the Pacific. It regularly experiences tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, landslides, fires and disease outbreaks. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) ranks Vanuatu twelfth in the Asia Pacific Region for the frequency and severity of its natural disaster.
UNICEF is the co-lead of the Water cluster which, under the leadership of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), together with the Department of Geology, Mines, and Water Resources (DGMWR) responds to national emergencies.
Collectively, the Vanuatu WASH cluster has recognized that a lack of readily available, officially endorsed, standardized set of key messages and IEC materials to address critical life-saving safe water, sanitation and hygiene behaviours in an emergency context presents a gap in its current disaster risk reduction and management preparedness and response practices.
To address this gap, UNICEF seeks to partner with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), and NGO that is a member of the WASH cluster and has expertise in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion and Emergency Response to coordinate and manage the preparedness and response efforts of this project. As an implementing partner, ADRA would provide technical support, coordination and management of stakeholder consultations, pretesting, production, prepositioning and provide training to stakeholders in Vanuatu to use the WASH in emergency standardized messages and IEC materials developed.
The materials were launched on 15th july 2016. You may view the details of the launching event here.
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The Climate Council is an independent, crowd-funded organisation providing quality information on climate change to the Australian public. This factsheet contains useful information about the influence of climate change on tropical cyclones, coastal flooding, storm surges, etc.
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It is a plan that details the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery arrangements in the event of a cyclone impacting on the Republic of Vanuatu. This plan clearly states out the guidelines and information to all responding agencies on what needs to be done in coordinated planning during a cyclone in line with the National Disaster Management Act NO 31 of 2000 and the Disaster Risk Management National Action Plan 2006-2016.
Vanuatu is the world’s most at risk country for natural hazards, according to a UN University World Risk Index. A proof to that study result is the passage of devastating Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam (TC Pam) in March 2015 where numbers of lessons learned have been raised and discussed amongst humanitarian bodies as recommendations and way forward.
The NDMO is pleased to confirm that this 2016-2017 review of the Cyclone Support Plan is the major review of that document so far. We made sure that keys points raised during the TC Pam ‘Lessons Learned’ workshop were captured in this plan for a better coordination of response right after a cyclone has occurred. National coordination is indeed very important to make sure all the available resources are used accordingly to avoid duplication of effort.
Disaster is everybody’s business, for this reason number of consultations have been conducted with various government agencies and working stakeholders to collect their inputs and including them in this review of the plan. This document is the foundation of all agencies to see how best they can prepare to respond to cyclones at the right time, with the right resources, for the benefit of the affected people anywhere in Vanuatu.
To download the copy of the Cyclone Support Plan 2016-2017, visit the Vanuatu NDMO website via this link.
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The Pacific island region is highly prone to natural disasters,especially cyclones, droughts and volcanic eruptions. Theseimpose a heavy economic toll, diverting resources away fromall forms of development. In a region so dependent onagriculture as the Pacific Islands, reducing exposure to andmitigating against the effects of natural disasters offersimmediate and substantial benefits to the sustainabledevelopment of the region.This report provides a detailed account of the interrelationshipsbetween disasters and agricultural systems infour Pacific island countries: Fiji, Samoa< Tuvalu andVanuatu. The authors note that traditional agriculturalsystems provided a high degree of food security. Althoughthey have significantly changed over recent decades, manycomponents of these systems remain in place, to varyingdegrees around the region. This continues to be an importantmitigating force against the impact of disasters, as recentevents in Samoa and Vanuatu have shown. The report arguesthat the impact of natural disasters on agriculture can beconsiderably reduced, first by better environmentalmanagement and, second, by finding ways to use traditionalfarming methods and adapt them to new uses, rather than thewhole scale change to farming methods that has often beenattempted in recent decades.This report is one in the series of reports commissioned bythe South Pacific Disaster Reduction Programme. Thepurpose behind these reports has been to increase awarenessof the importance of disaster reduction for sustainabledevelopment in the Pacific region, and to demonstrate thatthere are practical ways to reduce the exposure of islandeconomies and communities to natural hazards. The 1990swere designated by the United Nations General Assembly to
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Vanuatu is expected to incur, on average, 48 millionUSD per year in losses due to earthquakes and tropicalcyclones. In the next 50 years, Vanuatu has a 50% chanceof experiencing a loss exceeding 330 million USD andcasualties larger than 725 people, and a 10% chanceof experiencing a loss exceeding 540 million USD andcasualties larger than 2,150 people.
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The environment of Vanuatu including its land based resources are extremely vulnerable to climate-related hazards, such as cyclones strong wind gusts, droughts, heats spells, floods and sea level rise/storm surges. Most of these hazards are precipitated by natural weather phenomena and therefore will be exacerbated by the current and future impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is a threat not only to the livelihoods of the people of Vanuatu but also to a healthy and prosperous nation. This national climate change adaptation strategy (NCCAS) lays out an approach to identify and implement efficient and effective activities to manage the existing and anticipated consequences of climate change for the land-based resources sectors in Vanuatu, namely forestry, agriculture, water, livestock, and biodiversity/ natural ecosystems. These sectors play dominant and essential roles in the economy of Vanuatu and contribute to livelihoods and the general well-being of people and the country as a whole.
The NCCAS is aligned with and builds on existing strategies, policies and action plans. For example, it builds on Vanuatu’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), the Priorities and Action Agenda (PAA) or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management National Action Plan (NAP) and sector specific documents like the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy or the National Water Strategy.It is not just a strategy for government, but actively involves civil society including churches, youth organizations and other NGOs working in the land based resources sector in an active process to cope with climate change in a coherent and strategic manner. For each sector it describes adaptation strategies that are usable, practical and implementable.
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