Pacific Island Leaders endorse regional framework for building resilience to climate change and disasters ^Featured

The Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP) promotes partnerships and coordinated action to ensure that communities at the local, national and regional levels are central to their sustainable development.

“Recent devastation from Typhoon Maysak and cyclones like Pam and Winston highlight the need for collective action to build resilience and address climate change and disasters in our region.

This Framework complements national policies on climate change and disaster risk management and marks an important step towards a more resilient Pacific.” said Forum Chair and President of Federated States of Micronesia, the Honourable Peter M. Christian.

The Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific: An Integrated Approach to Address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (FRDP) was endorsed by Leaders during the 47th Pacific Island Forum meeting in the Federated States of Micronesia. Pacific Leaders agreed for it to be fully elaborated and operationalised upon the entry into force of the Paris Agreement.

Emphasising the importance of immediate, significant and coordinated practical action to address climate change and disaster risk management, Pacific Leaders agreed upon seven principles embodied in the Pohnpei Statement: Strengthening Pacific Resilience to Climate Change and Disaster Risk.

Leaders also tasked the Forum Secretariat to convene a Working Group, including Members, CROP agencies and stakeholders, to elaborate on the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) process by December 2016 to implement the FRDP.

The Framework and the proposed Pacific Resilience Partnership will ensure that climate change and disasters are understood as a development challenge with priority actions to address vulnerability to climate change and disasters and build resilience across all sectors.

-Forum Secretariat