South Pacific Islands Crisis Response Plan 2023 - 2025

Regional Plan
Last updated: December 14 2022
$7,780,000
Funding required
43,000
People Targeted

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

$2,050,000
Funding required
7,000
People Targeted
12
Entities Targeted
Internally displaced person, Local population / community
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

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.
Funding confirmed 2%
98% Funding gap

Shelter, settlements and non-food items

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:

  • Conducting comprehensive needs assessments, with special consideration to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups;
  • Prepositioning and distribution of non-food items (NFIs) and emergency shelter materials procured locally within the region, which can include claw hammers, hand saws, nails, pad bolts and solar lights, which can be used by households to fortify their residences as well as distribution of assistance through cash/ voucher modalities;
  • Providing information education and communication materials and training on house stabilization; and
  • Reviewing local supply chain options for emergency NFI procurement, and the establishment of long-term agreements.
Funding required
$650,000
Plan types

Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies

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.
Funding required
$300,000
Plan types

Camp coordination and camp management

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.
Funding required
$1,000,000
Funding confirmed
$52,840
Last updated: 06 Jun 2023
Plan types
5%
Funding confirmed
95%
Funding gap

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian response

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;

  • Community-based and interdisciplinary Psychosocial Mobile Teams (PMTs) facilitating socio-relational activities, such as sport and play, art-based and creative activities or cultural activities and rituals;
  • Establishment of temporary Psychosocial Support hubs in displaced communities to host activities organized by the PMTs and as a contact point for community members;
  • The training of service providers in Psychological First Aid (PFA);
  • Provision of individual and group counselling to displaced communities and the establishment of peer support groups; and
  • Setup of a referral system to MHPSS services, including specialized mental health care.
Funding required
$100,000
Plan types

Objective
Address the drivers and longer term impacts of crises and displacement through investments in recovery and crisis prevention

$1,115,000
Funding required
20,000
People Targeted
16
Entities Targeted
Internal migrant, Internally displaced person, Local population / community
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

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.

Durable solutions

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:

  • Providing participatory settlement planning for temporary or longer-term shelter/housing and safe and dignified transportation to support voluntary return or relocation/resettlement;
  • Strengthening gender-based violence (GBV) risk mitigation through awareness-raising and protection interventions;
  • Supporting community-based micro-credit schemes for traders and business start-up grants/packages, such as initial seed money or income-generating assets, to resume or create small businesses; and
  • Supporting community-government meetings with broad participation aimed at resolving common issues of concern. 
Funding required
$650,000
Plan types

Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in transitional and post-crisis situations

Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential to the well-being of displaced persons. IOM will provide this support by:

  • Providing sustainable access to water and sanitation services to internally displacement persons through the support of improved water and sanitation infrastructure;
  • Strengthening management mechanisms at NDMO and NEMO that enable beneficiary communities to respond to their needs and endure future shocks; and
  • Providing awareness raising and health advice to promote behavioural change-seeking hygiene.
Funding required
$165,000
Plan types

Peacebuilding and peace preservation

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:

  • Assisting in developing community peace for development plans (CPDP);
  • Conduct training for inclusive community facilitation teams on peacebuilding and development planning;
  • Establishing and supporting diverse Community Facilitation Teams for leadership in development and peace initiatives; and
  • Developing referral pathways for protection and access to justice to support the Do No Harm principle.
Funding required
$300,000
Plan types

Objective
Strengthen preparedness and reduce disaster risk

$3,315,000
Funding required
12,000
People Targeted
12
Entities Targeted
Internally displaced person, Local population / community
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

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:

  • Support most vulnerable community members to have improved access to an adequate standard of living, including food, water, housing, health services and education, sustainable livelihoods and employment and support the respective National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) and National Emergency Management Offices (NEMO); and
  • Strengthen the capacity of national and local government authorities and relevant ministries, non-governmental organizations (NGO) staff and volunteers, civil society, and community members to support preparedness and reduction of disaster risk particularly for most vulnerable communities.
Funding confirmed 3%
97% Funding gap

Emergency preparedness

IOM, in partnership with the NDMOs, will support evacuation management by:

  • Rehabilitating / Constructing  multipurpose evacuation centres where gaps in emergency shelters are identified in high-risk and remote communities and retrofitting and upgrading community buildings to meet minimum standards of criteria for evacuation management; and
  • Ensuring that identified protection risks in evacuation centres are addressed and referral systems for child protection and GBV are put in place.

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:

  • Providing technical advice and support for information management;
  • Strengthening localization and national capacities through organizing and providing displacement and evacuation management for partners (including government counterparts, NGOs community groups) to improve the overall understanding as well as capacity to carry out displacement/evacuation coordination, management, and administration activities. Displacement/evacuation training will aim to build the technical knowledge and capacities of displacement/evacuation practitioners to contribute to an effective settlement response and raise standards in the sector; and
  • Ensuring first responders are trained on how to safely refer child protection cases and disclosures of GBV incidents in a safe and ethical manner and ensuring accountability to affected populations (AAP).
Funding required
$2,650,000
Funding confirmed
$112,488
Last updated: 06 Jun 2023
Plan types
4%
Funding confirmed
96%
Funding gap

Disaster prevention

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:

  • Mapping and assessing high-displacement risks areas;
  • Improving the capacity of targeted disaster-prone communities in applying Disaster Risk Management strategies;
  • Ensuring vulnerable communities in disaster-prone areas have better-quality information about potential hazards;
  • Implementing small-scale infrastructural mitigation works, notably to address floods risk;
  • Mapping of potential risks and safe areas along identified hazardous zones (i.e. prone to the risk of flooding and wildfires);
  • Building capacity of knowledge management within the government response mechanisms;
  • Awareness-raising and support to communities to understand risks and implement preventive practices as well as capacity building on building back safer;
  • Developing an early warning system on meteorological hazards in close coordination and partnership with Civil Protection Agencies and NDMOs; 
  • Implementing the ETT to provide information on sudden natural hazards, and conflicts that may have implications for the displacement of people;
  • Conducting an in-depth technical remote sensing flood risk and vulnerability mapping of target areas; and
  • Constructing and rehabilitating public infrastructure, including rainwater runoff systems, retention walls, spate irrigation, and more to mitigate the impact of climate change including unseasonal rainfall, flooding, and landslides. Special emphasis will be given to the reuse potential of flood water for agricultural purposes at the community level.
Funding required
$500,000
Plan types

Health components of preparedness and risk reduction

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:

  • Developing and updating key guidance documents, protocols and population mapping concerning the preparation, management and coordination of evacuation centres and displacement sites with respect to COVID-19 or any disease, alongside awareness-raising activities in coordination with NDMOs, NEMO, and national NGO counterparts;
  • Upgrading critical evacuation centres and other sites of displacement to improve site safety and hygiene. This will include the development of tools and guidance for site planning, including contingency spaces and quarantine areas; and
  • Prioritizing the engagement with internally displaced persons and host communities in assessing risks, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms, planning, and implementing mitigation measures; including capacity-building of leaders and set-up of new volunteer networks to facilitate health promotion and hygiene sensitization and awareness-raising activities.
Funding required
$165,000
Plan types

Objective
Contribute to an Evidence Based and Efficient Crisis Response System

$1,300,000
Funding required
4,000
People Targeted
20
Entities Targeted
Internal migrant, Internally displaced person, Local population / community
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

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:

  • Support direct beneficiaries from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu to receive displacement tracking matrix training (including cluster representatives in Tonga that will train as trainers) in alignment with data protection principles; and
  • Improve the capacity of relevant government ministries in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, research organizations and regional bodies to collect sex and age-disaggregated data and evidence relevant to climate change and disasters and strengthen data partnerships in alignment with data protection principles.

Displacement tracking

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:

  • Providing support for nationally owned displacement tracking mechanisms and climate mobility monitoring, to address emergency displacement and long-term mobility challenges relating to climate change; and
  • Building the evidence base and guiding support through increasing understanding of climate mobility trends and projections through research: distinguishing types of mobility in the region, impacts linked to losses and damages, generating statistics and proposing research efforts related to disaster risk reduction to partners.
Funding required
$650,000
Plan types

Support services for response actors

IOM will provide support to NDMOs, NEMO, and national NGO counterparts and first responders and humanitarian partners as required, including by:

  • Supporting engagement and preparedness of emergency operation centres;
  • Ensuring the set-up of referral pathways for protection services, including child protection and GBV;
  • Renewing emergency communication systems; and
  • Reviewing of standard operating procedures.
Funding required
$650,000
Plan types
Operational presence in

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.

With thanks to our current donors