Director NDMO Manasa Tagicakibau at today’s launch.
FIJI needs to harness its climate change mitigation and disaster risk management efforts to avoid duplication of resources and manpower.
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) director Mr Manasa Tagicakibau said this will be the main thrust behind building a National Platform for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change.
In addition, he said through the four day workshop next week, more awareness and understanding for recently launched Government initiative called the Green Growth Framework will be sought.
“This national platform has been absent in Fiji so we have the global and regional initiative but the national platform is not in existence. The regional initiatives usually go to the institutions and trickles down to the communities but it is not coordinated well,” Mr Tagicakibau said.
On the workshop, he said it will provide a platform for sharing of ideas, concepts and practices that are relevant and beneficial to Fiji in terms of disaster risk and climate change programmes.
Mr Tagicakibau said if addressed appropriately the programmes could help “reduce damage and loss and promote sustainable development and resilience to the country”.
The National Platform will gather all relevant stakeholders to a forum and help identify gaps.
It will also assist in proposing a way forward to harmonise disaster risk management and climate change in areas of commonality that will benefit the country.
Mr Tagicakibau assured that the meeting outcome statement will receive the necessary attention from the Fijian Government as it will be the basis for the formulation of a Cabinet submission on the revision of disaster risk management in Fiji to one that includes climate change and relevant sectors.
The workshop will see experts in academia, government, outside government, development partners, private sector, local government and community will come together at Novotel, Lami on August 19.
MINFO