North Pacific Islands Crisis Response Plan 2021-2023

Year

Regional Plan

CRP last updated: November 08 2022

Funding last updated: January 20 2022

$15,000,000

Funding required

115,000

People Targeted

Download CRP Download Summary

IOM Vision

IOM in the North Pacific strives to save lives by building the resilience of the region to the increasing hazards and vulnerabilities facing Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). IOM seeks to work closely with populations of concern, government, and civil society to mitigate risks to safety, security, human rights, and the well-being of Micronesian people while supporting progress towards strengthened disaster prevention and emergency preparedness.

The Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) recognize the increasingly devastating impact of extreme weather events on the socio-economic well-being of its citizens. The North Pacific region’s geographic location and topography render the island-states particularly vulnerable to impacts of climate change and the cyclical effects of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) related weather events, including extreme temperatures, drought, typhoons, and heavy rainfall. In the past decade alone, the North Pacific region has been devastated by typhoons (Palau 2012, 2013; FSM 2015, 2019) and droughts (Palau 2016; FSM 2010, 2011; RMI 2013, 2016, 2017) among additional hazard events.

The increasing frequency of disasters and extreme vulnerability including predictions for the significant or total loss of landmass and the implications for the security, human rights and wellbeing of Micronesian people has led the governments and international partners to look at the risks to livelihoods, coastal settlements, infrastructure, ecosystems, economic stability, and interventions to build resilience and mitigate those risks. The isolation of the remote, low-lying outer islands necessitates that communities actively engage in disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts, and have the tools, capacity, and resources to do so.

While all three countries are currently COVID-free as of December 2020 due to strict closure of borders, a potential outbreak would have severe negative impacts due to limited preparedness and threaten the already weakened health systems. A significant proportion of the population would be considered highly vulnerable to COVID-19, as the level of non-communicable diseases in Pacific populations is among the highest in the world. Individuals and groups also at high-risk include those who have relatively unequal and inadequate access to basic social services, including health and sanitation; those who depend heavily on the informal economy; and those with limited or no access to communication and information channels, including persons with disabilities, children, adolescents, elderly, and marginalized groups. The socio-economic impacts of the crisis have exacerbated the vulnerability of the population, and as a vaccine is made available, accessing the remote outer islands, and ensuring widespread coverage, if needed, will require a substantial coordinated effort.

IOM Micronesia maintains close partnerships with the governments of the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands in addition to close coordination with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and other United Nations (UN) agencies. IOM serves as the acting UN Country Coordinator for RMI supporting the Resident Coordinator Office in Fiji under the Multi-Country Office Structure.

IOM has built strong relationships with disaster prevention and emergency preparedness and response agencies in the North Pacific, particularly the National Disaster Management Office (RMI), the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management and state-level Disaster Coordinating Offices (FSM), and the National Emergency Management Office (Palau). Additionally, IOM coordinates closely with leading health agencies including the FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs, RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services, and Palau Ministry of Health. Key task forces and cluster groups that IOM coordinates with are Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Food Security and Infrastructure, Shelter, Gender and Protection, and Logistics.

IOM Micronesia was established in 2008 and is headquartered in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) with a physical presence in all three countries (and four states in FSM) of the North Pacific Region. IOM has sub-offices located in the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and in the FSM states of Yap, Chuuk, and Kosrae. IOM works in cooperation with national, state, and local agencies to provide support across the entire region addressing community stabilization, disaster prevention, emergency preparedness and response, migration management, women’s empowerment, elimination of gender-based violence (GBV), counter-trafficking, and protection. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IOM is actively participating in government-led Task Forces and working with partners to enhance preparedness through infection prevention and control (IPC), risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), point of entry (POE), protection, and coordination activities.

IOM uses its extensive expertise and experience in these areas to provide support to governments as well as communities affected by crises. IOM will continue supporting government and civil society actors to create conditions to more effectively address future humanitarian challenges, disasters, and hazard events.

Objective
Driving solutions to displacement

$13,000,000

Funding required

11,525

People Targeted

Entities Targeted

Internally displaced person, Local population / community

Primary target groups

Description of People and Entities Targeted

IOM will support communities impacted by disasters, with a particular focus on outer island communities that are particularly vulnerable to internal displacement within the region, and the Governments of the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, including national, state, and local authorities, to be more resilient to hazard events and better prepare and respond as outlined in respective Frameworks and Plans.

Funding confirmed 52%

48% Funding gap

Community stabilization

IOM will focus on community stabilization in order to support stability and security, and reduce further forced migration, through culturally appropriate and socially inclusive reconstruction assistance following disasters and emergencies. Communities directly impacted by Typhoon Wutip and those in need of immediate support will be targeted. Planned interventions include:

Increasing access to a dignified living space by rebuilding damaged and destroyed housing to support households to live in conditions of safety and privacy;
Facilitating the safe relocation of affected populations as necessary and the protection of housing, land, and property (HLP) rights, including the facilitation of vulnerable groups in related decision-making processes;
Ensuring more resilient infrastructure with build-back-better techniques including rainwater harvesting system upgrades;
Rehabilitation of emergency evacuation shelters to be more resilient to hazard events and public utilities to sustain long-term economic development;
Rehabilitation of health infrastructure including hospitals, dispensaries, and community health clinics to support community needs and decentralisation of care;
Community Working Groups with on-the-job learning to local labourers;
Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) to empower outer island communities in the decision-making process, tailoring materials to their shelter needs.

Funding required

$8,000,000

Funding confirmed

$6,795,301

Last updated: 20 Jan 2022

Plan types

84%

Funding confirmed

16%

Funding gap

Address the socio-economic impacts of health crises

IOM will support COVID-19 preparedness activities, as well as addressing the socio-economic impacts of the crisis. Food insecurity, water insecurity, and inadequate health facilities are chronic vulnerabilities facing the communities and have been exacerbated during the pandemic. In response IOM will:

Work to strengthen resilience and mitigate the impacts through health system strengthening, improvements to WASH, food security programs, and RCCE activities;
Ensure widespread vaccine coverage including to the remote outer islands will require substantial coordinated efforts, including through procurement, logistics, and public awareness campaigns.

Funding required

$5,000,000

Plan types

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Objective
Strengthen preparedness and reduce disaster risk

$2,000,000

Funding required

115,000

People Targeted

Entities Targeted

Internally displaced person, Local population / community

Primary target groups

Description of People and Entities Targeted

IOM will support communities impacted by disasters, with a particular focus on outer island communities that are particularly vulnerable to internal displacement within the region, and the Governments of the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, including national, state, and local authorities, to: (i) build capacity to better prepare for, respond and be more resilient to hazard events and disasters; ii) include and mainstream disaster preparedness, response, and risk reduction.

Funding confirmed 62%

38% Funding gap

Disaster prevention

IOM will empower communities and governments of the North Pacific, including national, state, and local authorities, to lead disaster prevention activities. This will be done through:

Building technical expertise in governments and community service organizations in preparedness and implementation including strengthening disaster risk reduction plans, policies, strategies, and curricula while also leading comprehensive tabletop exercises and simulations;
Improving water security in outer islands and atolls, including increasing rainwater harvesting and storage capacities with the implementation of a comprehensive Operations and Maintenance (O&M) program including training, cleaning, surveillance, and repair;
Strengthening food security in outer islands and atolls, including agroforestry, trainings, tools, and community events to rehabilitate agriculture areas and improve soil productivity;
Creating sustainable food production opportunities, including a focus on coastal fisheries value chains;
Supporting the establishment/strengthening of an early warning alert response system;
Organizing a Government stakeholder mentorship programme to strengthen capacities to perform an equitable provision of essential services and integration of build-back-better measures.

Funding required

$1,000,000

Plan types

Emergency preparedness - rename

IOM will support communities, community service organizations, UN partners, and governments of the North Pacific, including national, state, and local authorities, in emergency preparedness through capacity building and technical expertise by:

Equipping communities with the skills to actively mitigate the impact of hazards including material resources for shelter, communication and WASH;
Strengthening information management for a more effective response;
Upgrading emergency communication equipment and hardware skillsets;
Mobilizing resources, prepositioning and warehousing;
Developing logistics for rapid delivery of emergency supplies and damage assessments;
Prior to a likely disaster, updating and testing response structures for increased coordination capabilities.

Funding required

$1,000,000

Funding confirmed

$1,245,047

Last updated: 20 Jan 2022

Plan types

100%

Funding confirmed

Funding gap

Read less

Operational presence in

Micronesia (Federated States of), Marshall Islands, Palau

^{The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.}

^{Figures are as of 31 December 2023. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.}

Global Crisis Response Platform

Working across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus

North Pacific Islands Crisis Response Plan 2021-2023