David Kolitagane, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management

Staff of the Ministry

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen

Bula vinaka,

Today’s event is to not only acknowledge the ongoing partnership between the Fiji Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management and UNDP, but to also recognise how we have built trust and understanding through working together for a common good.  

As I have acknowledged previously, the Ministry plays a critical role in ensuring that development in rural and maritime communities in Fiji is productive, progressive, safe, and resilient. The Ministry’s integrated approach to coordinating development activities in Fiji’s rural sector demonstrates an impressive intent to achieve the Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030.

We all witnessed how both TC Yasa and TC Ana left communities and people in a state of despair across several parts of Fiji. These are the most challenging times for many Fijians and we commend the Ministry’s efforts in coordinating relief and recovery responses. Not many would be aware of how stressful, draining, and difficult it is to effectively address the immediate needs of people, particularly in the aftermath of a disaster.

Unfortunately, as we have seen in the past, the majority of measures taken to address the risks posed by climate change and disasters bypass development planning and budgeting systems, including those of subnational government. As a result, development activities, such as water supply systems, health facilities, schools and roads are at risk of being damaged or destroyed by climate change and disaster events, and in most cases exacerbates the vulnerability levels of the communities.

As has already been established by the Ministry, we need a risk-informed approach to development, which ensures that climate change, disaster and gender and social inclusion are integral to all development activities.

With the ever-present risks from climate change and disasters to communities in Fiji, it is imperative for the country to apply risk-informed approaches to build resilient and inclusive systems and environments that work for rural communities in Fiji.

We are grateful that the vision and leadership of the Ministry to embed risk-informed development as fundamental to protecting development gains in rural and maritime regions in Fiji.

Aside from the ongoing commitment to support the Ministry with risk informing development initiatives, the UNDP provided funding support of 150,000 Fiji dollars, and seconded three technical staff members to support immediate response efforts.

Part of the reason why we gather here today is to handover the IT infrastructure that will be used for disaster response and management purposes. As I have been informed, some of these tablets are being used by conduct damage assessments in the Northern and Western divisions of Fiji.

We are also handing over the IT equipment for the Senior Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Officer with support from UNDP through the Gov4Res Project.

With these words, I would like to thank the Minister and the staff of the Ministry for making time for this event. Our appreciation and gratitude also go to all who invested much time and effort in advancing the discussions prior to this event.

With such support and concerted efforts, we are on the right path to developing productive, progressive, safe and resilient rural communities in Fiji.

Vinaka vakalevu!