A National Platform for disaster risk management and climate change will be held next week to gather relevant stakeholders and discuss/identify gaps and proposes way forward to harmonise disaster risk management and climate change in areas of commonality that will benefit the country.
Currently, disaster risk management and climate change are two fields administrated separately by the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs respectively.
The Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development and National Disaster Management permanent secretary Mr Filipe Alifereti said the National Platform is to build upon the best practice from successful disaster risk management and climate change projects and programs to achieve sustainable development benchmark for the country.
He said that the National Platform is the beginning of joint efforts to find synergies and integration between the two programmes focusing on the sharing of ideas, concepts and good practices that are relevant and beneficial to Fiji.
“It is also an essential step towards aligning Fiji with regional and international initiatives in these two programmes,” Mr Alifereti emphasised.
The forum will consist of thematic sessions that cover disaster risks and climate related processes with speakers drawn widely from experts in academia, government, outside government, development partners, private sector, local government and community.
A meeting statement is expected to be the outcome of the National Platform which will form the basis for the formulation of a paper to Cabinet for the endorsement of a revision of disaster risk management in Fiji to include climate change and relevant sectors.
More than 200 stakeholders are expected to participate at the forum selected from agencies in government and outside government at national and sub-national levels including community and also regional and international partners.
The forum will be held at Novotel, Lami from 19th to the 22nd August and is expected to be opened by the Minister Rural, Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Inia Seruiratu.
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