The Vanuatu portal for climate change adaptation supports society and citizens preparing for climate change consequences in Vanuatu. The portal offers information and support within a number of areas.
Roles & Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of climate change adaptation in Vanuatu are divided across different levels – from local and regional to national. The collaboration between the different sectorial responsibilities is essential to achieve the adaptation targets.
- Local Level
- National level
- Regional Level
- International Level
Knowledge transfer & Risk Assessment
A database of natural disasters is kept by the National Disaster Management Department and Department of Geo Hazards, also through previous climate projects has developed maps and support tools for climate risks. The portal for climate change adaptation provides information on possible climate impacts.
Many of the sectoral and regional adaptation plans include risks and vulnerability assessments.
Implementation
The Government finances measures to improve knowledge about the impacts of climate change and to address these impacts, for example by implementing prevention measures against landslides and flooding. The Government also distributes assignments related to various measures to sector agencies. Most adaptation issues are, however, multidisciplinary, meaning that work on climate adaptation is largely performed in collaboration between different actors and sectors at the national, regional and local levels.
Vanuatu has a well-established and functioning framework for disaster risk reduction (DRR), including work in Technical working groups for crisis preparedness. The work is coordinated by the National Disaster Management Department and the Department of Climate Change and is promoted on all levels and between sectors and actors working with land use planning, risk management, natural disasters and climate adaptation, in order to reduce risks and enhance preparedness.
Several coordination networks currently exist in Vanuatu where sector agencies and other stakeholders can share experiences and plan key actions. These stakeholders include VCAN network (Vanuatu Climate Action network), CBDRR working group (Climate Based Disaster Risk Reduction). Through the local level sub-national planning, area councils are obliged to carry out risk and vulnerability assessments as a basis for coping with extraordinary events and crises when doing community profiling and area council development plan formulation. Such analyses also cover events that will be affected by climate change.
Adaptation Officer's Profile
Role of Climate Change Adaptation & Disaster Risk Management (CCADRM):
- Enable and facilitate research into vulnerabilities
- Promote the use of and disseminate CC & DRM information
- Centralize and make available CCDRM information
- Mainstream key CC & DRM messages in NAB-Endorsed reports, educational materials, sector policies and work plans
- Establish & Maintain Database related to CCDRM strategies (Includes; Location, effectiveness, lesson learn) Stock – taking
- Support CCDRM implementations with NAB stakeholders
- Support NAB on CCDRM initiatives in Vanuatu
Detail Activities and ongoing:
- Vulnerability and Impact assessment (Address site-specific climate vulnerabilities)
- Integrate Climate Change Governance and Implementation (Relevant Policies, Initiatives and Programmes must include an integrated Climate Change Adaptation Approach)
- Community Based Adaptation (Adaptation actions in communities addresses real, current and priority vulnerabilities
- Adaptation actions are owned and driven by the communities
- Rights and needs of individuals are respected and recognised at community level
- Loss and Damage (L&D) incurred as a result of climate change (Take action around loss and damage)
Contact Detail:
Tel: 22160
Skype: Pauliane Basil