<< More about the Community Risk Programme

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• Past Interventions
• Current Issues for Solomon Islands
• Programme Response

The Pacific, including the Solomon’s 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. Whilst not all risks to development result from the impact of disasters, the reduction of the potential damage from such events needs to be central to any programmes designed to achieve and maintain sustainable development. The potential damage 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

Solomon Islands is no stranger to natural disasters and hazards. SOPAC’s past interventions that relate to the Community Risk Programme include:

• A pre-cyclone season community awareness program in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Office of the Solomon’s.
• The Savo Volcano Risk Project through which the volcanic hazard of Savo was mapped and knowledge disseminated to raise awareness, reduce vulnerability and improve hazard preparedness of the community.
• The ongoing study of the Volcanic Hazard facing Savo, assessing the risk factor and the potential impact, and preparing strategies to mitigate the risk and raise awareness .
• The facilitation of a fellowship-training scheme with a Solomon Island national on geological, geo-technical and MapInfo? training.
• The provision of a range training in collaboration with TAF/OFDA to upgrade disaster risk management skills of key stakeholders including NDMO staff
• Participation as a member of the design team for the AusAID Disaster Risk Management Capacity Building Project

Current Issues for Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is the second largest Pacific island country consisting of six main islands and hundreds of smaller islands and has a total population of about 460,000. The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal, and for administrative purposes the country is divided into nine provinces.

The majority of people live a subsistence lifestyle in rural villages but there is increasing urban drift to Honiara, particularly of younger people. Population growth in Solomon Islands is amongst the highest in the world and nearly 50% of the population is aged 15 or under. Solomon Islands is geographically located in an area that is subject to tropical cyclones and storms as well as periods of very heavy rain, all of which can cause wind-related, landslide and flooding disasters. There are also periods of drought, often related to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Geologically, the country is situated close to the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates and is subject to earthquakes and tsunamis as well as more gradual changes of level that can lead to increased or decreased inundation by the sea. There are four active volcanoes in Solomon Islands although these have caused little damage in recent years.

In addition to these natural hazards, Solomon Islands has become subject to increased risk from environmental hazards, notably as a result of indiscriminate logging and dumping of chemicals and garbage; technical hazards including location of fuel storage depots close to areas of population; transport hazards resulting from limited maintenance and overloading; health hazards that result from the presence of malaria and other insect-borne vectors as well as poor nutrition in some areas; and limited medical resources and poor environmental health practices. The country also has long-standing risks left over from World War 2 in the form of widespread unexploded weapons on land and sea as well as a risk of oil pollution from decaying wreck, particularly on Ironbottom Sound.

The critical issues for the Solomon Islands as cited in their National Assessment Report, which relate to the Community Risk Programme are:

• Lack of human resource development in vulnerability and adaptation assessment, and mitigation analysis.
• Lack of quantitative data on hazards and disasters.
• Lack of communication technologies to network with relevant stakeholders.
• Lack of accurate and timely predictions for when disasters will strike.
• Need to strengthen local and national capacity to respond during natural or environmental disasters.
• Need for rapid emergency response to victims of natural and environmental disasters.
• Lack of land use planning to reduce vulnerability.

Programme Response

Regionally, the response of the Community Risk Programme include:

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

One component of the Community Risk Programme is to assist with the development of the National Disaster Management Officers of the Member Countries of SOPAC. In the Solomon Islands, the Community Risk Programme assisted with the development of the country’s National Strategies on hazard and risk management practices to build safer communities and strengthen resilience to hazards.

A specific response of the Community Risk Programme to a request by the Solomon Islands is the continual provision of support to Solomon Islands nationals to build their human capacity in the area of risk management.