The Pacific
- 3 out of the world’s 5
- most disaster-prone countries are in the Pacific
- 8 out of 20 countries
- with the highest disaster-related GDP losses are in the Pacific
- 1 in 4
- Pacific Islanders are likely to be living below their country’s basic-needs poverty line
The Pacific is one of the most vulnerable regions to natural hazards in the world, with climate-related shocks and disasters increasingly posing threats to sustainable growth and stability in the region. Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon Islands rank among the highest in the world for disaster risk, according to the World Risk Index 2021.
Average direct losses due to natural disasters in the South Pacific are estimated at US$284 million per year. In the medium to longer term, climate-related disasters are expected to increase in number and scale, especially in relation to El Niño and La Niña cycles.
What the World Food Programme is doing in the Pacific
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Emergency preparedness and response
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WFP Pacific is engaged in many elements of emergency preparedness and response and anticipatory action, which enables us and our partners to be more effective, efficient and fast-moving when crises erupt. This includes inter-agency support and alignment, coordination in emergencies through the Logistics, Food Security, and Emergency Telecommunications clusters, operational information management, and knowledge management.
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WFP common logistics services
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WFP supports the planning of emergency facilities, identifying and addressing shortfalls, and national-level logistics capacity assessments. Its Pacific Emergency and Response Logistics project standardizes humanitarian logistics training, while the Pacific Logistics Mapping platform provides regional humanitarian coordination. To support the COVID-19 pandemic response, WFP provides warehousing support and operates the Pacific Humanitarian Air Service.
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Emergency telecommunications
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WFP focuses on capacity strengthening and promoting the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster approach – within the national disaster management organizations across the region – through support for the development of national emergency telecommunication plans, and knowledge and skill development via targeted training and workshops. WFP supports Pacific countries by providing technical advice and equipment, and by deploying personnel across the region.
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Programmatic activities
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WFP conducts extensive regional food security vulnerability analysis and mapping, including mobile Vulnerability Assessment Mapping, rapid-assessment training workshops, development of standard operating procedures and the compilation of food-security data sets and profiles for each Pacific Island country. WFP is strengthening shock-responsive social protection and cash preparedness, and piloted a climate risk-insurance initiative in Fiji.
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Country capacity strengthening
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On government request, WFP Pacific works to develop the capacity and knowledge of national authorities, staff and stakeholders at country level, to coordinate, design and lead preparedness, anticipation, response and resilience actions in its cluster lead areas of logistics, food security and emergency telecommunications.
The Pacific news releases
Go to pageIn focus
International Women’s Day: Data and Determination for Food Security in the Pacific
“The cyclone season is coming; it’s important that we are prepared.”
World Humanitarian Day 2022: “I want to make an impact, even if it’s a small one”
Vital air service delivers life-saving assistance during COVID-19 pandemic
Story | 19 August 2021
‘You have to live and breathe it. You have to believe in it’
Story | 27 June 2018
Partners and donors
Find out more about the state of food security in The Pacific
Visit the food security analysis pageOperations in The Pacific
Contacts
Office
Level 2, Kadavu House, 414 Victoria Parade,
Suva,
Fiji