MINISTER USAMATE AT THE 2019 NATIONAL DISASTER AWARENESS WEEK OPENING

Commissioner Northern Division and Divisional Heads of Departments

Invited Guests
Students

Ladies and Gentlemen

 
Ni sa Bula vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
 
It gives me great pleasure to be here among you this morning to celebrate & officially open the National Disaster Awareness Week for the year 2019.
 
It is indeed great to be here in Taveuni, to touch base with you our community members who are also our first responders during emergencies and disasters.
 
The National Disaster Awareness Week is celebrated annually prior to the beginning of cyclone season to remind us of the fact that disasters do occur. As such, we as individuals, as families, and as communities can prepare for, and reduce the effects of disasters. It is also an opportunity to reflect on lessons we have learnt from past disasters and how we can build back better as families, as communities and as different sectors of government.
 
The theme for 2019 Disaster Awareness Week is “Build to Last”. This year’s theme is aligned to Target D of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which is to “Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services”. This is also aligned to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities.
 
In Fiji, this is aligned to the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This journey began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction.
 
Held every 13th of October, the day celebrates how you as people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2019 edition continues as part of the "Sendai Seven" campaign, centered on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all students and the different agencies who have participated this morning. Your participation celebrates and acknowledges that you are an important part of this theme.
 
I understand that community leaders and Head of Departments have undergone some capacity building to also equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to help your communities be disaster ready. I am told all this will culminate toward the live tsunami drill scheduled for Thursday. I encourage you all to participate actively and disseminate the information of disaster preparedness at every opportunity given. And as you participate in the week’s activities, you will continuously reflect on the theme ‘Build to Last’.
 
In 2016 we can all remember Tropical Cyclone Winston, which was a destructive event with associated loss of lives and loss of our hard-won developments. However destructive it was, it proved to be constructive and was Government’s ‘wake up call’ to take action concerning the usually overlooked or neglected aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for Fiji. And one of these aspects of disaster risk reduction is ‘build to last’.
 
While we advocate for build back better strategies in all spheres of development, we acknowledge that for many building back better will be too late. So we ‘build to last’.
 
Winston provided us with a window of opportunity to enhance Fiji’s resilience to disasters and the Fijian Government has ‘learnt its lessons’ from Winston, and we will ensure that actions are implemented so that those that lost their lives, did not do so in vain. 
 
Catastrophic TC Winston brought damages and losses to our critical infrastructure sectors that we are still rebuilding from.  The education sector suffered F$77 million in damage and losses, the health sector F$13.9million, the transport sector F$129.5 million and the communication sector F$31million.
 
According to the World risk report 2018, Fiji is ranked as the 10th highest disaster prone country in the world. This is mostly due to a very high degree of exposure and lack of adaptive capacity especially for our critical infrastructures.
 
This should be stark reminder of how we must build our critical infrastructures to last and be resilient to the impacts of natural hazards.
 
We all know that when our critical infrastructures are disrupted during disasters there will always be a human cost.  Government appreciates this and our national development plan, adaptation plans and budgets are in some shape or form have included risk reduction which has enabled government to programme risk reduction actions and investments. The onus is now on us and especially you, the custodian of our critical infrastructure to mainstream risk reduction in your development plans and policies.
 
Therefore, I urge you all here today especially to you our custodians of critical infrastructures such as Education, Health, Energy, Water & Sewerage and Telecommunications, Roads and Shipping, as you reflect on past disasters, to take home some of these key messages to guide you in ensuring that your structures are built to last.
 
Firstly, we all must integrate disaster risk reduction into investment decisions as this is the most cost-effective way to reduce risk.  We must no longer treat disasters as a humanitarian issue but as a development one. And by investing just $1 into disaster risk reduction will save us all $7 in response.
 
Secondly, our developments must be risk informed. In the past few months, we have witnessed how continued heavy rains have contributed to landslides occurring in our parts of the community.  Such landslides have resulted in the disruption of services of critical infrastructures such as schools which also double as evacuation centres and health centres. And this is what our communities in Dreketi, Wainiika and Yadua island are currently experiencing. I urge you, the custodians of these facilities to ensure that your rebuilding is risk informed so that when a disaster affects your communities, the effects are substantially reduced. Through good governance practices, engage with technical advisors such as the Mineral Resources Department, the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Waterways and the Department of Town and Country planning, to name a few, to provide sound advice for your development plans.  They will help you ‘understand the risk’.
 
Thirdly, the UNDRR (United Nations Office for DRR) explains that sustainable development cannot be attained while disasters continue to undermine economic growth and social progress. And I, as the custodian of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy strongly believe that if Fiji wishes to achieve sustainable development, implementing the Sendai Framework and achieving its Targets fully, will make it possible. And target achievement will only be possible if we all play our part well in disaster risk reduction.
 
Finally, let me assure you all that Government, through the National Disaster Management Office, is committed to the people of Fiji for providing services aimed at preventing loss of lives and reduce damage to properties caused by disasters and other catastrophic events.
 
The week’s celebrations also aims to advance the universal goal of sustainable development, disaster risk reduction and climate change and safeguard the environment and the climate for present and future generations.
 
I would like to leave you with the message this morning that disaster is everybody’s business and I urge you all present here today to visit the booths to learn and understand more about building to last, and to relay the message to your communities and friends on the positive impacts of disaster risk reduction.
 
Thank you, Vinaka Vakalevu, Bahuut Dhanyawad and God Bless Fiji.