Integrating Climate Actions and Disaster Risk Management in the Pacific

As we have mentioned in several articles on the Climate Adaptation Platform site, the Pacific Islands are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The Pacific peoples are already feeling the effects of climate change daily. They are living amidst climate change, as Pacific Island articles tell us.

The occurrence of natural disasters is making things worse for them. Their geographical location and the islands’ small size make them at the forefront of any natural disasters.

The “Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific: An Integrated Approach to Address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management” (FRDP) was created to provide guidance and support for building resilience to climate change and disasters in the Pacific Islands region.

Small island developing states (SIDS) have been recognized as a particular case for environment and development because “their small size, limited resources, geographic dispersion, and isolation from markets place them at a disadvantage economically” (FRDP, 2017).

According to the Framework, the frequency of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions like severe rainfall or drought have degraded their soils and ecosystems, impacting their ability to produce food and thus threatening their food security.

Below are some notes on the FRDP document:

• The Framework also mentioned that increasing ocean temperatures are causing acidification, killing their coral reefs, and affecting their fish harvest, which Pacific islanders depend highly on with their subsistence and livelihoods.
• The impacts of climate change have undermined the Pacific Islands’ sustainable development or any economic breakthroughs. Although Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) face the same levels of exposure, their levels of vulnerability depend on their environmental, social, and economic capabilities.
• Everyone has a role to play regarding who is responsible for dealing with these climate risks and threats of disasters, from the national to subnational governments, administrations, private sectors, civil society, and communities. Everyone must work together to deal with this critical issue.
• Recognizing the significant overlap between climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, the Pacific leaders came together during the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting 2012 to develop a single integrated framework that integrates the two concepts. Thus, they created the FRDP.
• The Framework is voluntary and non-political and supports coordination and action on several critical issues related to climate change and disaster risk management in the region and seeks to “provide high-level strategic guidance to different stakeholder groups on how to enhance resilience to climate change and disasters.”
• The Framework presents guiding principles that are central to its implementation. The first is integrating climate change and disaster risk management and mainstreaming them into development planning, including policymaking, financing, and building resilience. Another is strengthening and developing partnerships across countries and territories and sharing best practices and lessons learned.

The goals of the Framework

To enhance resilience for sustainable development and to eradicate poverty, they have set the following goals:

The FRDP document is a good resource or reference for countries that are vulnerable to climate change and disaster and would like to strengthen their climate adaptation and resilience programs.

You may browse the entire FRDP document by clicking on the image below: