Tonga hosts Stakeholder Workshop for Disaster Risk Management Policy Inputs

This important dialogue was part of Government of Tonga’s efforts to reform its national disaster risk management legislation and policy framework. 

The workshop brought together around 45 participants comprising senior government officials from several ministries, private sector organizations, NGOs, community leaders and development partners to share perspectives and reflect on the effectiveness of Tonga’s DRM Framework in relation to recent disaster events, as well as reflect on the regulatory framework improvements needed for DRM and disaster risk financing.

Opening the dialogue, the CEO of MEIDECC, Mr. Paula Ma’u, highlighted that “we are moving away from a reactive approach to emergency management, to a proactive and comprehensive approach to disaster risk management – supporting all stages of the disaster risk management cycle, which are: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery”.

He emphasized how previous devastating disaster events have aided in identifying key lessons that must not be forgotten within the policy reform process. Placing emphasis on the extent of devastation recently caused by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and tsunami event, as well as prior cyclone events, he said “we need to focus and direct our efforts towards ex ante risk reduction activities, to mitigate the impacts of natural hazards by implementing effective preparedness measures and investing more in resilient people and infrastructure” In this regard, he stressed, “an effective DRM system is critical to setting in place the policies and procedures required during disaster events to save Tongan people and safeguard public and private assets.

Adding to the ongoing conversations on the policy reform process, Acting Director for NEMO, Ms. Moana Kioa echoed that “more can be done to strengthen DRM policy development process”. She mentioned that “countries in the Pacific are gradually progressing with reforming disaster risk management policy, and there is a lot to offer to the process based on your individual experiences, but more importantly, there is a lot to gain from this effort”

During the dialogue, representatives from the World Bank Technical team explained how they will support NEMO on the Tonga DRM Policy, which is envisaged to assist with implementation of the authorities and resources provisioned under the DRM Bill. Mr. Jian Vun from the World Bank echoed that the policy would guide the overall DRM process in Tonga and emphasize increased efforts in ex-ante risk reduction.

Indeed, there is a need to bring together the principles of risk-informed development to deliver stronger development outcomes, which meet the needs of the poor and most vulnerable. Linked to these sentiments, participants shared on the key challenge of ensuring that financing is accessible to operationalize the policy, which has been an ongoing concern across the Pacific. The majority of workshop participants indicated that moving forward, there should be more collaboration on risk integration across all development initiatives as well as more recognition on the underlying drivers of disaster risk.

As the Government of Tonga looks toward launching the DRM policy next year, this dialogue served as a good starting point for genuine and inclusive engagement. The NEMO team will continue working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that their views and concerns are addressed through the policy formulation process, where applicable.