2nd Pacific regional disaster risk management meeting for Pacific CEOs of finance/planning and disaster management

Typically, the effort to address disaster risk management has been spearheaded at national level within Pacific countries by the national disaster management Offices. In light however of the need to ensure an improved effort to address disaster risk reduction, SOPAC working with other partner organisations have advocated quite extensively for the involvement of the upper echelon within the various public service jurisdictions in the Pacific in terms of ensuring that risk considerations are given a greater prominence in planning and budgeting systems within government and at each level within the national economy. In this regard this meeting has been organised to again bring together the Chief executives/Permanent secretaries of those ministries responsible for disaster management, with Chief Executives / Permanent secretaries responsible for finance and planning.

The theme of the meeting is: 'Disaster Risk Management for Sustainable Development in Pacific Island Countries - The Need for Leadership by Central Agencies'.

The purpose of the meeting is to enhance the involvement and participation of key chief executives in Pacific governments in disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, as a cornerstone requirement and imperative for supporting sustainable national development.

The specific objectives of the meeting are:

1. Strengthen the ownership and leadership of the DRR change process by central agencies within Pacific governments
2. Increase the understanding of the progress of implementation of the Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Framework for Action 2005 – 2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters
3. Discuss the main policy recommendations and inputs which the Pacific Regional Platform will convey to the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, June 16th – 19th 2009, Geneva
4. Discuss opportunity for South – South Cooperation and Learning: The Experience of the Caribbean
5. Discuss opportunities to enhance the sustainable development of Pacific countries through the strengthening of integrated water resources management, improved risk financing mechanisms and improved information and data baselines.

The meeting will comprise of a series of presentations and group discussions.