Fiji Times

'The benefits of participation in this [World Disaster Reduction] campaign is you can save lives and livelihoods through proper planning and preparedness, work towards sustainable urbanisation, protect natural resources urban heritage and economic activity...' stated a UN official in Fiji Times article...

According to the Fiji National Disaster Management Office, more work needs to be carried out to improve communities' resilience to disasters in Samoa...

'Gender issues have received little attention because of poor understanding of gendered vulnerabilities and risks to disasters. More efforts need to be made to promote gender-inclusive disaster risk reduction' said Dr Jiko Luveni, head of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Ministry...

'In the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, a key challenge under our Strategic Plan (2010-2014) is the establishment of a Geo-Spatial Data/Information system' for disaster risk management said Lands Ministry permanent secretary...

Some of the damage caused by the floods this year could have been avoided had the sugar industry and government invested adequately in the maintaining ecosystems, particularly the drainage systems according to a IUCN/FLIS report released early this month...

'We are at high risk and can be hit by any of the mentioned natural hazards and we live at a location that is exposed to the risk. It is like we are sitting on a time bomb and don't know when it will burst,' said Natural Disaster Management office director Joeli Cawaki...

'Today it is possible to protect health facilities from such adverse events with current knowledge and a strong commitment and even with limited resources in developing countries such as Fiji' said Joe Singh...

'Schools are also centres for learning and spreading disaster risk reduction awareness in the community' said state official Manasa Vaniqi....