<< More about the Community Risk Programme

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• Past Interventions
• Current Issues for the Cook Islands
• Programme Response

The Pacific, is acknowledged as being among the most threatened regions in the world, with the continuing presence of natural, human induced, technological and environmental hazards. While the threats presented by these hazards may be seasonal or differ from country to country in respect to type, frequency or intensity, no country is immune to their devastating impacts.

The challenge of achieving sustainable development goals, including poverty alleviation and protection of the environment, cannot be achieved unless the impacts of disasters on vulnerable communities is taken into account. While not all risks to development result from the impact of disasters, the reduction of the potential for such events needs to be central to any programmes designed to achieve and maintain sustainable development. This potential can only be effectively reduced, in the context of the development process, by adopting a broader and more integrated approach to hazard mitigation and risk management.

The SOPAC Community Risk Programme offers such an approach to the management of community risk and targets three key areas: strengthening the resilience to disasters, mitigating the effects of hazards and mainstreaming risk management as part of the national development planning process. Through a High Level Advocacy strategy the Community Risk Programme is encouraging national commitment to the adoption of a whole of government approach to reducing community vulnerability and strengthening disaster risk management arrangements in order to improve national development planning processes in member countries.

Past Interventions

Previous interventions of the Community Risk Programme in the Cook Islands relate to Rarotonga’s most valuable asset, its coastal strip, which has been subjected to frequent storm surges. Other initiatives include:

• In 2000, a pilot project was completed in Rarotonga, in which a methodology for assessing the vulnerability of the tourism sector to natural hazards was developed .
• In 2001, Emergency Management Centre EOC Software was trialed in the National Disaster Management Office of the Cook Islands. The software was purchased to assist in disaster management and SOPAC was asked to assist in the trial run.
• The Community Risk Programme sourced a Fire Tanker and funded training in its use and maintenance by volunteer fire fighters in the Cook Islands
• The NDMO Director was funded to attend an ISDR Taskforce Meeting in Geneva
• The acting NDMO Director was funded for a short term attachment to the SOPAC DMU

Current Issues for the Cook Islands

The critical issues faced by the Cooks Island, as mentioned in their National Environmental Management Strategy, which relate to the Community Risk Programme and are interrelated with the other programmes of SOPAC include:

• Implications of climate change and sea-level rise.
• Cook Islands’ vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters, such as hurricanes, cyclones, floods, fire and severe droughts.
• Lack of community awareness of risks and hazards mitigation.
• Lack of clearly defined disaster risk management arrangements

Programme Response

A comprehensive and strategic response is in place for the Community Risk Programme to address the needs of the Cook Islands in relation to the sustainable development issues mentioned above. Needs are met either nationally in response to specific requests from the Cook Islands, or regionally to ensure sustainable development is standardised across all member countries.

The Programme seeks to meet specific requests from the Cook Islands through:

• The adoption of a whole-of-government approach to disaster risk management is currently being advocated in the Cook Islands .
• The development and implementation of a national CHARM programme
• A review of the preparedness and response capabilities of the fire and emergency services in the Cook Islands

Regionally, the activities of the Community Risk Programme include:

• The provision of support where appropriate for Cook Islands’ representation at international training programmes, workshops and conferences.
• The provision of high-level advocacy to promote the mainstreaming of disaster risk management through the application of CHARM.
• Conducting CHARM national training courses and workshops
• The provision of post disaster technical or institutional support following the impact of disasters.
• Development of the Environmental Vulnerability Index – a tool that assesses the vulnerability of the countries of the world in order to assist national stakeholders in decision-making and to influence policy to reduce vulnerabilities of Pacific communities.