IOM Vision
In partnership with the governments of Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, IOM will comprehensively address vulnerabilities and drivers of displacement before, during and after crises by:
- Supporting national and local authorities to effectively prevent, respond to and manage displacement situations;
- Enhancing resilience in at-risk communities to prepare for climate change and disaster-related human mobility;
- Providing comprehensive, targeted and life-saving humanitarian assistance to affected populations in times of disaster and ensuring the continuation of essential services; and
- Supporting progress towards the achievement of durable solutions for communities displaced by disasters and the long-term impacts of climate change.
Objective
Save lives and respond to needs through humanitarian assistance and protection
Given the frequency of disasters caused by natural hazards in the Pacific region, IOM plans to:
- Provide non-food items (NFIs), shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support to internally displaced persons, disaster-affected communities and host communities in a safe and ethical manner;
- Provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)-services for members of displaced communities;
- Implement evacuation centre management and displacement (ECMD) to support temporary assistance and protection activities for displaced persons and communities as well as pre-emptive evacuation centre management; and
- Support the National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) in Tonga, the Tonga Emergency Shelter & Non-Food Item Cluster and humanitarian organizations.
In partnership with national NGOs, and in collaboration with NDMOs, the NEMO and regional /national shelter cluster, IOM will address the shelter needs of internally displaced persons and disaster-affected communities, through:
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In partnership with national health-nutrition and WASH (HNWASH) clusters, and in collaboration with NDMOs and the NEMO, IOM will support addressing the HNWASH needs of internally displaced persons and disaster-affected communities through:
- Conducting comprehensive needs assessments, with special consideration to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups;
- Consulting communities and subsequent distribution and installation of required water, sanitation, and hygiene materials to be procured locally within the region, such as water transported via gravity-fed or pumped pipes or water trucking, water storage containers, specific technology for safe disposal of wastewater depending on the characterization of wastewater ensuring public health parameters are maintained; and
- Capacity building of HNWASH clusters, NDMOs, NEMO and local communities to utilize water, sanitation, and hygiene materials including awareness-raising campaigns and hygiene sensitization.
Under the regional cluster on Evacuation Centre Management & Displacement (ECMD) and in collaboration with NDMOs, and the NEMO, IOM will support addressing the needs of internally displaced persons and disaster-affected communities, where possible utilizing traditional knowledge and culture, through:
- Supporting national disaster management (and other) agencies in formulating national evacuation management policies, standard operating procedures, and standards for evacuation centres;
- Ensuring that the needs of vulnerable groups are considered during preparedness and emergency response and linked to protection referral mechanisms, and strengthening of the cluster system;
- Providing capacity building to governments and NGO partners on the development of national cluster systems and implementation of an exit strategy for evacuation centres, return and reintegration of IDPs, and recovery planning for the displaced communities; and
- Implementing support in alignment with the Guidelines for Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other Protection Risks in Evacuation Centers.
In partnership with NGOs, local CSOs, NDMOs and NEMO, IOM will provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services and activities to communities displaced by disasters and the long-term impacts of climate change, through;
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Objective
Address the drivers and longer term impacts of crises and displacement through investments in recovery and crisis prevention
Climate change projections, even those within 1.5 degrees of global warming, suggest that PICs are facing several critical security threats that are likely to intensify the drivers of migration, displacement and planned relocation of Pacific islanders and communities. Tonga and Vanuatu are the two countries with the highest relative average annual disaster displacement worldwide. IOM plans to:
- Protect vulnerable communities that have been impacted by displacement due to climate change impacts and disasters through durable solutions and essential services; such as coastal communities, low-lying areas and flood-prone areas. This will include households with disabilities, older persons, female-headed households and other vulnerable women, large families with a minimum of eight household members, and single parents;
- Support entities including key ministries and agencies within the Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu governments, and civil society to protect vulnerable communities that have been impacted by displacement.
Conflict related to access to land rights, socio-economic development and political dissent continues to occur across the Pacific. IOM plans to:
- Support communities to manage local conflict, reduce violence and strengthen social cohesion;
- Protect migrants and displaced persons that are vulnerable to conflict with conflict-sensitive attention to complex social dynamics, whilst taking gender, youth, human rights, and protection considerations.
In support of the United Nations Secretary General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, IOM will collaborate with national and local authorities to develop and support progress towards the achievement of durable solutions for communities displaced by disasters and the long-term impacts of climate change. This will include people who remain displaced in Tonga as a result of the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai (HTHH) disaster. Through utilizing a rights-based, participatory, and inclusive approach, adhering to the pillars of IOM's Progressive Resolution of Displacement Situations (PRDS) framework, IOM will achieve this by:
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Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential to the well-being of displaced persons. IOM will provide this support by:
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Drawing upon its experience supporting community-led conflict mitigation approaches within different conflict situations, IOM will work with communities to address underlying drivers of conflict and to strengthen community capacity to promote peaceful resolutions and respond to threats that might lead to relapse into conflict or violence. Activities will include:
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Objective
Strengthen preparedness and reduce disaster risk
In PICs, there is already ample evidence to indicate that cautious planning and adequate preparation is required to avert and minimize the worst impacts of unplanned movement as a result of climate change effects and disasters. IOM plans to:
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IOM, in partnership with the NDMOs, will support evacuation management by:
In addition, through the regional Evacuation Centre Management and Displacement (ECMD) cluster under the humanitarian architecture of the PHT, IOM will support emergency preparedness by governments and cluster partners in the region by:
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Community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) planning provides a holistic approach, encompassing the whole cycle of disaster risk management, in consultation with vulnerable groups within target communities. IOM plans to build the functional CBDRM capacity of government partners and target communities through:
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Ensuring communities are equipped with skills to manage evacuations in a safe, orderly, and coordinated manner is key to reducing the health-related impacts of displacement. IOM plans to carry out the following activities:
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Objective
Contribute to an Evidence Based and Efficient Crisis Response System
Climate change and disaster-related programmes and policies need to be underpinned by data, evidence, and research – applying mixed methods and participatory methodologies. Ensuring that national ownership of data and research is in place, that collection and management of evidence is robust and well-integrated in the region, and that analysis and utilization capabilities are adequate, is critical to ensuring the preparation of PICs is informed and effective. IOM plans to:
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IOM plans to build the capacity of NDMOs, NEMO, and national NGO counterparts on data collection, data analysis and data management, including through training on the use of IOM’s DTM to support data-driven crisis response interventions, such as:
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IOM will provide support to NDMOs, NEMO, and national NGO counterparts and first responders and humanitarian partners as required, including by:
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Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu
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 2022. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.