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Humanitarian & Disaster Management Capacity Development in the Pacific

Research Report

Associate Professor Phil Connors and

Mr Yaseen Ayobi

October 2016

Humanitarian&DisasterManagement

CapacityDevelopmentinthePacific

ResearchReport

October2016

Researchconductedby

AssociateProfessorPhilConnorsandMrYaseenAyobi

CentreforHumanitarianLeadership

SchoolofHumanitiesandSocialSciences

FacultyofArtsandEducation

DeakinUniversity

Contents

Listofabbreviations..............................................................................................................................iii

Listoffigures.........................................................................................................................................iv

Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................v

ExecutiveSummary...............................................................................................................................vi

Chapterone-Introduction....................................................................................................................1

Backgroundandcontext....................................................................................................................1

Researchstructure.............................................................................................................................3

Researchobjectives............................................................................................................................4

Methodology......................................................................................................................................4

Methodologicalframework................................................................................................................5

Researchlimitations...........................................................................................................................8

Researchquality.................................................................................................................................8

Researchethics..................................................................................................................................9

Chaptertwo-Capacityneedsanalysis................................................................................................10

Existingcapacitybuildingpractices..................................................................................................10

Capacitydevelopmentmodality......................................................................................................14

GraduateCertificateLevelCourse................................................................................................15

Short-termcourses.......................................................................................................................16

On-the-jobtraining.......................................................................................................................17

Onlineanddistancetrainingcourses...........................................................................................17

Simulationandexercises..............................................................................................................17

Capacityservicesproviders..............................................................................................................18

CapacitydevelopmentprogrammesinthePacific:..........................................................................18

Chapterthree-Significantcapacitygapsandskillsdemands.............................................................22

Lackofanintegratedandcomprehensiveneedsassessment:........................................................23

Acriticalcommunicationandcoordinationchallenge:....................................................................25

Countryspecificobservations......................................................................................................26

Responsestructuremechanism.......................................................................................................27

Leadershipsapproachandbehaviour..............................................................................................28

Localizationofhumanitariansupport..............................................................................................31

Inequalityandprotection:................................................................................................................32

Capacitydevelopmentneeds...........................................................................................................34

Disasterfunctionalcapacity:............................................................................................................36

Communicationandcapacityneedsassessment:............................................................................38

Communicationandinformationmanagement...............................................................................38

Logistics,ShelterandWASH.............................................................................................................39

Demandfortrainingmodality:.........................................................................................................40

Generalanalysisandreflectiononcapacity.................................................................................46

Chapterfour–Institutionalarrangementsandstructures.................................................................48

TheNationalDisasterManagementOffice......................................................................................50

DisastermanagementcoordinationmechanismsinthePacific......................................................54

TheClusterscoordinationapproach:...........................................................................................54

TheACFIDHumanitarianReferenceGroup(HRG)...........................................................................56

TheUNDACCoordination.................................................................................................................56

TheFRANZAgreement.....................................................................................................................57

PacificDisasterRiskManagementPartnershipNetwork:................................................................57

ThePacificIslandsAssociationofNon-GovernmentOrganisations(PIANGO)................................57

Chapterfive–Recommendationsandconclusions............................................................................58

Establishingacoherentcoordination...............................................................................................60

Trainingpartnershipandcoordinationmechanism.........................................................................61

Coordinatedneedsassessmentandanalysis...................................................................................62

Recommendedcapacitydevelopmentpackages.............................................................................63

Findings:...........................................................................................................................................65

References............................................................................................................................................67

AnnexA:ResponsetotheSteeringCommitteeQuestionsandComments.........................................70

AnnexB:AuditTrail..............................................................................................................................77

AnnexC:TrainingProgrammesandStakeholders...............................................................................80

AnnexD:Questionnaires......................................................................................................................91

iii

ListofabbreviationsADPC AsianDisasterPreparednessCentre(ADPC)

ANU AustralianNationalUniversity

ACFID AustralianCouncilforInternationalDevelopment

CDC CommunityDisasterCouncil

DSLO DistrictServiceLiaisonOfficer

FNU FijiNationalUniversity

FCOSS FijiCouncilofSocialServices

HRG HumanitarianReferenceGroup

IFRC InternationalFederationofRedCross

INGO InternationalNon-GovernmentalOrganisations

NGOs Non-GovernmentalOrganizations

NDMO NationalDisasterManagementOffice

NDC NationalDisasterCommittee

OCHA OfficeforCoordinationoftheHumanitarianAffairs

OSOCC On-SiteOperationCoordinationCentre

PHT PacificHumanitarianTeam

PIC PacificIslandsCountries

PICT PacificIslandsCountriesandTerritories

SPC SecretariatforthePacificCommunities

USP UniversityofSouthPacific

UNDP UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme

UNU UnitedNationsUniversity

UNEP UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme

UTS UniversityofTechnologySydney

UNDAC UnitedNationsDisasterAssessmentCoordination

USR UrbanSearchandRescue

USAID UnitedStateAgencyforInternationaldevelopment

VHT VanuatuHumanitarianTeam

iv

ListoffiguresFigure1:Researchparticipants’levelofeducation...............................................................................6

Figure2:Researchdesignanddatacollectionprocess..........................................................................7

Figure3:Datacollectionmethodsandparticipantsdisaggregatedbygender......................................8

Figure4:Disastermanagementandhumanitarianstakeholders’relationships..................................13

Figure5Humanitariananddisastermanagementcapacitymodality..................................................14

Figure6:Satisfactionofresearchparticipantswithcurrentandprevioustrainingsmodalitiesinterms

ofeffectiveness....................................................................................................................................19

Figure7:Skillsandcapacitygaps.........................................................................................................23

Figure8:Barrierstoeffectivehumanitarianresponsemanagement..................................................30

Figure9:Demandsforskillsindisastermanagementandhumanitarianspheres...............................35

Figure10:Demandsfortrainingsandcapacitydevelopmentmodality..............................................41

Figure11:Demandsforacertificate/diplomainhumanitarianassistanceanddisastermanagement

..............................................................................................................................................................41

Figure12:SkillsdemandsforhumanitarianmanagersinthePacific...................................................43

Figure13:Disastermanagementinstitutionalstructure.....................................................................48

Figure14:Humanitariananddisastermanagementpriorities............................................................64

v

AcknowledgementsFirstandforemost,weexpressoursincereappreciationtotheresearchparticipantsfortheirtireless

support,timeandcontributiontotheresearchinthePacific.

WearealsothankfultotheDepartmentofForeignAffairandTrade(DFAT)foritsgenerousfundingof

this important research thatwill helphumanitarian anddisastermanagement stakeholders in the

Pacific.Also,weexpressourgratitudetoourresearchsteeringcommittee,includingSavetheChildren,

WorldVision,ReliefInternational,Oxfam,CareAustraliaandDeakinUniversityfortheirguidanceand

supporttothestudydesignanditsimplementation.

SpecialappreciationtolocalNGOs,governmentdepartments,andcivilsocietyorganisationsfortheir

willingnesstoparticipateinresearchdiscussionanddatacollection.

Lastly,wewould like tohighly appreciate Elizabeth Irvine andPip Smithwhohave contributed to

proofreading,formattinganddesigningoftheresearchreport.

Thankyouverymucheveryoneforyourtirelesssupportandformakingthisresearchprojectreal.

VinakaandThankYou.

vi

ExecutiveSummaryThecontextofrespondingtonaturaldisastersinthePacifichasseenrapidchangewithmorefrequent

andpowerfulcyclones,drought,risingsealevelsandotherweatherandclimaterelatedevents.The

growing challenges are raising new opportunities and emphasising the requirement for greater

localisedcapacityandprofessionalizationofdisastermanagementandresponse.Thisgalvanisesthe

needtofocusonfurthercapacitydevelopmentofstateandnon-stateactors,includingcommunities,

private sector, military, local churches, CBOs, NGOs, INGOs and government in order to design,

change,adaptandmobilizeresourcesasquicklyaspossible.

Thisreportcapturesthefindingsofaresearchinitiativedesignedtoascertaintheexistingcapacityand

processes and inform the development of capacity building programmes that work to meet the

currentandfuturedemands.Theresearchexaminesthefollowingthreespheres:

Ø Existingcapacitybuildinganddevelopmentinitiatives;

Ø Identified capacity gaps and challenges, institutional policies, processes and

frameworks;

Ø Technical, functional and system wide capacity building needs and priorities of

stakeholders.

Specificresearchobjectivesare-

Ø Toidentifythecapacitygapsandneedsat individual,organisationalandinstitutional

levelsanddeterminespecificskilldemands;

Ø To identify potential opportunities and ways for improvement in learning and

development.

Theresearchdataandanalysisreinforcetheunderstandingthatresponsesaremosteffectivewhen

thereisactiveinvolvementofallstakeholders,particularlyaffectedcommunities,reinforcedthrough

inclusivecoordinationandclearandconsistentcommunication.Bothstateandnon-stateactorsinthe

Pacific identified communication, coordination and functional challenges across leadership,

assessment,programdesignandengagingstakeholdersasthehighestprioritiesforcapacitybuilding.

InformantsidentifiedthatcapacitybuildinginthePacific,aswiththerestofthehumanitariansector,

tendstofocusoninternalshort-termcoursesdesignedtomeetimmediateoperationalrequirements

oforganisations.Howevertheyalsoindicatedthatsuchanapproachofdisconnected,short-term,ad

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hoc initiatives has limited constructive effect on the ability of stakeholders to effectivelymanage

disastersandhumanitarianresponses.Thequalityoftheavailabletrainingisgenerallyconsideredhigh

however the lack of an agreed framework left participants feeling the current capacity building

approachisemergentandnotsustainable.

The research identifies the need to establish a mechanism for sector-wide training collaboration

where disaster management training, modality and curriculum is coordinated and engages

communities, practitioners, relevant trainingproviders, research institutions, academia,NGOsand

donorsfromplanningtoimplementation.Itisessentialtorecognisetrainingprogrammescurrently

onofferanddesignacomprehensivelearninganddevelopmentframeworkthatbuildsinrecognition

ofexperienceandpriorlearningaspartofcoordinatingtrainingprogrammesacrosstheregionand

withineachPacificIslandCountry(PIC)inparticular.

Humanitarian&DisasterManagementCapacityDevelopmentinthePacific

1

Chapterone-

Introduction

Backgroundandcontext

DisastermanagementandhumanitarianreliefaretwoprominentissuesinthePacific.Pacificleaders

have consistently identified natural disasters and climate change as the greatest threat to the

livelihoods,securityandwell-beingofthePacificnationsandoneofthegreatestchallengesforthe

entireworld (Oxfam,2015).Thesechallengeshavebeendemonstratedvery recentlywith thetwo

strongestcycloneseverrecordedintheregion,withTropicalCyclone(TC)PamaffectingVanuatuin

March2015andcategory5TropicalCycloneWinstonimpactingFiji inFebruary2016.Winstonwas

thestrongestdisastertoeverstrikeFiji.Thecycloneleft44deadandaffectedupto350,000people,

approximately40percentofFiji’spopulation,withthetotaldamageanddestructionvaluedtobe

more thanUS$250million (OCHA,2016).Similarly,CyclonePam inVanuatuaffectedanestimated

188,000 people in 2015, more than 70% of the country’ population. Up to 90% of houses were

damagedonsomeoftheworstaffectedislandsacrossthearchipelagoofVanuatu.AsresultofCyclone

Pam,anestimated65,000peopleweredisplacedandevacuatedfromtheirhouses(IMF,2015;OCHA,

2015).Accordingtothepost-disasterneedsassessment,nearly17,000buildingsweredestroyedor

damaged,includingschools,houses,clinics,andotherinstitutionalandsocialfacilities.Thetropical

cyclonedestroyedagriculturalareasandcropsonalargescalewhileaffectingthelivelihoodof80per

centofruralpopulationinVanuatu(GovernmentofVanuatu,2015).

In the case of Cyclone Pam, humanitarian actors quickly mobilized into the humanitarian cluster

structuresandinitiatedanearlydamageandneedsassessmentintheaffectedareas.Theassessment

revealed thatmanycommunitieshad limitedaccess tosafewater,asanestimated68percentof

watercatchmentarrangementsweredamagedand70percentofshallowwellshadbeenpolluted.

Anestimated90,000peoplewerefoundtobeinneedofimmediateshelterassistancetorestoretheir

homesandprovidebasichouseholdsuppliessuchasblanketsandfooditems.Thedamagetohealth

andschoolfacilitieswerehugewhichresultedinlimitedprovisionofhealthfacilities.Thesituation


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wasfurtherexacerbatedbythedamagetotheagriculture,leavingmostfamiliesandhouseholdswith

noalternativefoodsourceinthecommunity(OCHA,2015).

Tomanageandcoordinateadisasterresponse,theGovernmentsofFiji,VanuatuandSolomonIslands

haveput inplaceacomprehensivemanagementand institutional structurearticulatingmandates,

roles and responsibilities for various actors and stakeholders to coordinate preparedness and

emergencyoperations.Thegovernmentstructuresaretwo-fold,withaNationalDisasterCommittee

orCouncil(NDC)representinggovernmentstakeholders,andaNationalDisasterManagementOffice

(NDMO) to linkupdirectlywithprovincialandcommunitydisaster committeesoperatingat these

levels. The structure is supported by enabling legislation, Solomon Islands National Disaster

Management Act (1989), Fiji Natural DisasterManagement Act (1998), VanuatuNational Disaster

Management Act (2000), disastermanagement plans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and

disasterspecificguidelinesandprotocolsthathelptofacilitateimplementation,assistancedelivery,

coordinationandcommunicationwithstakeholders.Theglobalclusterapproachhasbeenadoptedby

Fiji,SolomonIslandsandVanuatutocoordinatethematicareasinadisasterresponse.Theclusters

are designed to strengthen system-wide preparedness and coordinate technical assistance in

humanitarian emergencies. The clusters ensure that humanitarian organizations’ activities are

coordinated and serve as a first point of call for theGovernment. Clusters shouldmirror national

responsestructurestothelargestextentpossible,withtheinclusionofterminologythatiscommonly

usedbyactors in thenational sectors, andare co-chairedbyGovernment representatives.Where

required, country-level clusters canbeestablishedat theonsetof a disaster andmayormaynot

remainfollowingtheinitialphasesofresponsebasedonin-countryassessmentofcontinuedneed.

Thereareseveralclusters,wearepartofEducationandWASH,whenitcomestoWASH,weworkwithMinistryofHealthAffairsbutwhenitcomestoWASHinschoolwealsoneedtoworkwithMinistryofEducationalongwithclusterleadsandotherorganisationsthatmakeitcomplicatedintermsofinvolvementofstakeholdersfromseveralMinistries.Oneofthechallengesisthatwearesosectorialandwealwaysneedtoworkthroughoursectorandjustkeep[looking]straightahead.

Surgeteammember

FollowingTCWinstonandTCPamandthelargescaleimpactonthelocalcommunityandvulnerable

populations, there seems to be significant capacity challengeswithin local, government and non-

governmental organisations in terms of management and leadership in the sector. The need to

strengthencapacityindisasterriskmanagementwasatthecoreofthePacificDisasterRiskReduction

andDisasterManagementFrameworkforAction2005-2015andhasalsobeenafocusareaofmany

ofthePacificIslandsCountriesandTerritories(PICT)NationalActionPlans.


3

At theForumofForeignMinisterson10July2015 inAustralia,MrKubuabola,MinisterofForeign

AffairsofFijistated,“…weallneedtohaveskillswithinoursystemstobetterfendforourselvesduring

naturaldisasters.”(FBC,2015).

AtnationallevelacrossthePacifictherehasbeenasignificantinvestmentinthedevelopmentofthe

overalldisastermanagementmechanism,structures,plans,policiesandprocedurestoguidedecision-

makingandstrategicresponsetodisasters.Inaddition,therehasbeensubstantialinvestmentfrom

INGOsanddonorsinshort-termandlong-termcourses,coveringthetechnicalandmanagementfields

in humanitarian assistance and disaster management. However, the question remains of the

relevanceofcurrentandprevious trainingprogrammes inrelationto individualandorganisational

priorities.Thisunderpinsthebasisof judgmentforpreviousandcurrenttrainingprogrammesthat

wouldinfluenceacoherentprospectivecapacitydevelopmentinitiative.Thereisasignificantneedfor

an effective long term capacity development programme to ensure preparedness and effective

humanitarian response. Despite the articulation of disastermanagement acts, policies, rules, and

regulations including a capacitymanagement unitswithin the government structures, there is no

trainingandcapacitydevelopmentstrategy,or feedbackmechanismtohighlight trainingpriorities

and strategies for implementation. It is evident that in complex situations involving numerous

stakeholders in a multidisciplinary context, having the capacity to respond becomes an essential

requirement in meeting the policy, legislation and operational requirement of institutions and

programmestodelivereffectivehumanitarianassistancetoaffectedpopulation.

To understand such a complex phenomenon and stakeholders’ capacity needs and priorities, a

researchinitiativehasbeendesignedtounpackthecurrentcapacitybuildingmechanismandidentify

capacity needs and the priorities of stakeholders. The research will outline the overall disaster

management architecture, the current capacity development programmes and will undertake

detailedappraisalof capacity strengthsandneedsassessment in termsof knowledge, skills areas,

systems,andinstitutionalprocessesforeffectivedisasterandhumanitarianresponsemanagement.

Researchstructure

Theresearchreportiscoveredinfivemainchaptersinthefollowingorder.

Chapterone isan introductiontothecapacityneedsassessment,outlinestheobjectives,provides

background,anddescribestheresearchmethodologyundertaken.Chaptertwohighlightsthecapacity

developmentpractices, capacitymodalities onoffer and capacity building serviceproviders in the

region.Chapterthreeexaminescapacityneeds,gaps,thematiccomponentsofcapacityanddemands

forskillsandknowledge.Chapterfourdescribestheinstitutionalandorganisationalstructure,system


4

andprocesses effecting thehumanitarian responsemechanism. The final chapter summarizes the

findings, and outlines recommendations covering suggested training packages and approaches to

capacitydevelopment in the sector. It also summarises the researchundertaken, the findingsand

recommendations,followedbytheannexes.

Researchobjectives

Theobjectiveof thecapacityneedsassessment is to identifyandprioritisecapacityneeds,and to

highlight a needs-based capacity development programme that will ensure effective disaster

management and humanitarian response. By developing the capacity of Pacific humanitarian and

disaster management stakeholders, it will promote leadership and management capacity in the

disastermanagementandhumanitarianinstitutionsinthePacific.

Specificobjectivesareindicatedasfollowing:

1. TosupporttheimplementationofPICsdisastermanagementplananddisastermanagementact

2. To develop a capacity development programme that addresses disaster management and

humanitarianresponsechallenges

3. To initiate a capacity development programme thatwill address skills and knowledge gaps of

humanitarianresponseanddisastermanagement

4. To establish a collaborative environment for humanitarian stakeholders and capacity

developmentinitiativesthatwillhelptofocusresourcesonempiricalresearch-basedneedsand

priorities.

Methodology

Thestudyhasdeployedamixedresearchmethodologyguidedbyaconstructionistparadigmcovering

qualitativeandquantitativeresearchmethods.Thisparticularmethodologyallowsmembersfromthe

local governments, local institutions, INGOsand regional organisations to share their experiences,

storiesandknowledgeaboutdisastermanagementingeneralandrelevantcapacity-buildingpriorities

inparticular.Thepragmaticmethodologyhashelpedtounpacktheproblemsituationandhighlighta

thoroughremedialactioninordertoimprovehumanitarianresponses.

Theresearchhasusedacombinationofbothqualitativeandquantitativetoolscoveringkeyinformant

interviews, focus group discussions and online surveys to explore and analyse the context,

incorporatinghumanexperiences,knowledgeanddemandforskillsanddevelopment.Theresearcher

hasundertakenasemi-structuredapproachtoenablethedevelopmentofmorespecificquestionsto


5

collectmorerelevantinformationastheresearchprogresses.Thisismainlyduetotheuncertainand

complexsocialsituationindisasterpronecommunitiesaswearenotsurewhattypeofdemandswill

emerge.The flexible structurehashelped the researcher toexplore the typesof capacity-building

interventionsthatarerelevantandcontextuallyappropriate.

Methodologicalframework

Inlinewiththeresearchaimsandobjectives,theresearchhasbeendesignedinaholisticempirical

contextthatiscomprisedofthefollowingthreemainstages:

a. pre-empiricalstage

Atthisstageintheprocess,thefocusisonliteraturecoveringcurrentcapacitydevelopmentpractices,

institutional structure and approaches, existing assessment reports, organizations’ plans, disaster

managementstrategiesandcapacitydevelopmentinitiativestoidentifyresources,gapsandareasof

improvements. The research has ensured to address ethical requirements and country specific

requirementsbeforetheinitialdatacollectionstage.Duringthisstage,theliteratureanddiscussions

withstakeholdershaveinformedathoroughapproachandresearchdesign,datacollectiontoolsand

helpedtoidentifyadditionalstakeholdersandarrangementsfordatacollection.

b. empiricalstage

Following the literature review, 49 key informant interviews were undertaken, 2 focus group

discussions and 44 targeted online surveys were convened across the Pacific Island Countries.

ParticipantsfortheseinterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionswerefromarangeofINGOs,faith-based

institutions,localgovernment,UNandinternationalhumanitarianactors.Theface-to-faceinterviews

andfocusgroupdiscussionswereconductedin3differentPIC(SolomonIsland,FijiandVanuatu)while

targetedonlinesurveysweredrawnfromvariousPacificIslandCountries.

Participants’levelofeducationrangedfromthosewhowerenoteducatedbeyondprimaryschoolage

tocollege,graduateandpost-graduatedegrees.Mostparticipantshadbeeninvolvedinsomeformof

collegeeducationwithoutgainingadegree,andsomehadregularshort-termtrainingcoursesinthe

disastermanagement and humanitarian sector. This shows that the prospective capacity building

initiativewouldengageawiderangeofparticipantsfromdiverseeducationalbackgrounds.


6

c. review

Theinformationanddata,includingthebackgroundliteraturereviews,resultsfromthekeyinformant

interviews,focusgroupandsurveysoutcomes,willbetriangulatedthroughthevariousdatacollection

toolstoensurecoherenceinthemes,analysisandfindings.

Figure1:Researchparticipants’levelofeducation


7

MethodsandDataCollectionTool:TheresearchwascarriedoutinthethreePacificIslandcountries

ofSolomonIsland,FijiandVanuatu,andthetypeofdatacollectioneventshostedareillustratedin

the below table. Key informants were selected in consultation with local government and

internationalNGOs.Theselectionprocesswasdesignedtoensureknowledgeablerepresentativesand

coverage of humanitarian and disaster management stakeholders. Stakeholders covered by data

collectionarerangingfromlocalorganisations,government,INGOs,UNs,faith-basedorganisations,

donors,surgeteammembersandprivatesectororganisations.Thecountrieswereselectedbasedon

vulnerability profile to disaster, access to stakeholders and feasibility of primary data collection.

Research participants were selected based on their experience in the humanitarian and disaster

managementsector.Thegraphrepresentstheonlinesurveyparticipantswhilethetableincludeskey

informant,focusgroupandonlinesurvey.

Figure2:Researchdesignanddatacollectionprocess


8

DataCollectionTools Gender Total

Male Female

Keyinformant 26 23 49

Surveys 28 16 44

Focus Groups (Only two

focusgroups)

8 4 12

TotalParticipants 62 43 105

Figure3:Datacollectionmethodsandparticipantsdisaggregatedbygender

Researchlimitations

Theanalysisandinformationpresentedinthisreportarebasedontheabove-mentionedconsultation

process and are substantiated by the literature review and assessment. Analysis and findings are

limitedtomappingofexistingtrainingprogrammesandprimarydatacollectioneventsinFiji,Solomon

IslandsandVanuatu.Thedatacollectionquestionsandtoolswerefocusedoncapacitygapsinterms

of skills, institutional processes and structures. Specific capacity development initiatives, training

programmesandstructures,alongwithcrosscuttingthemessuchasgenderandprotectionwerenot

partofthisresearch.

Researchquality

Thequalityofthisstudydependsonthesystematic,consistentandin-depthfieldworkandliterature

reviewaswellastheexperience,skillsandcapacityoftheresearcherswhohavecarriedoutrichfield

interviews and interpretation of the data. In this context, the sample needed to account for a

conscientious interpretation, analysis, data quality and sample,which havemade the information

morecredible,reliableandapplicabletotheproposedcontext.

The researcher was able to identify knowledgeable humanitarian and disaster management

practitioners (research participants) based on the recommendations and consultations with

stakeholders.Alistofproposedindividualswasrecommendedbythegovernment, localNGOsand

INGOs,andthenwascrosscheckedwithotherlocalandinternationalinstitutions,suchastheNDMO,

toensurethekeyinformantssuggestedwereplausible.


9

The analysis and interpretation of data is based on a comprehensive research audit trail that

documentsmethodologicalrigor,datacollectiontoolsandconsistentfieldpractice.Thedetailsofthe

audittrailcanbefoundinAnnexA,thatdocumentsresearchprocesses,analysisanddatacollection.

Researchethics

According to theDeakinUniversity approved ethics protocol (reference numberHAE-16-036), the

researchwas conducted in an ethicalmanner, ensuring privacy, confidentiality of individuals and

organisations,tomakesurethattheresearchisnotposinganyrisktothecommunityandindividuals.

Theresearcherhastravelledtosafeandsecureareaswitha‘donotharm’approachattheforefront.

Theresearchtoolsandquestionsweredesignedandconductedinawaythatwerenotinfavouror

opposedtoanysocialorpoliticalgroups.Theresearcherismindfuloftheorganisationalrelationships

amongstakeholdersinthePacificcontext.Therefore,theresearchfollowedappropriateapproaches

torecruitresearchparticipantsinlinewithlocaletiquettesandculture,aswellasensuringinformed

consentofallparticipants.Onceofficialpermissionwassecured,theresearchermadeappropriate

arrangementsforvenue/locationtoconducttheinterviewthatwasconvenientandappropriateboth

culturallyandsecuritywise.


10

Chaptertwo-

CapacityneedsanalysisThis chapter covers the dimension of capacity modality, including the existing capacity building

practices;capacitydevelopmentprovidersand;thecoreelementsofstakeholderprogrammes.

Existingcapacitybuildingpractices

Trainingisacriticaltoolforeffectivedisastermanagement.Donors,NGOs,andtheprivatesectorhave

spentmillionsofdollarsonlearninganddevelopmentofdisastermanagementpractices.Awiderange

ofinstitutionshavebeencontinuouslyengagedincapacitybuildingtrainingsindisastermanagement

thatincludesanumberofPacificuniversities,privatesectorandgovernmentorganisations.Currently,

therearemorethan100trainingcoursesonofferbyawiderangeofacademicinstitutions,NGOsand

private organisations including Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Asian Disaster

PreparednessCentre (ADPC),UNOCHA, IFRC,NGOsanddonororganisations. AnumberofPacific

universitiessuchastheFijiNationalUniversityandtheUniversityofSouthPacificareofferinggraduate

diploma, and higher level academic education, on disaster risk management, emergency risk

managementandclimatechangemanagement.TheUniversityofSouthPacific,incollaborationwith

theUnitedNationsUniversity,andtheRoyalMelbourneInstituteofTechnologybothoffercourseson

environmentalimpactandstrategicassessment.InformalcapacitybuildingproviderssuchasNGOs,

SPC and government agencies offer a wide range of short-term trainings focused on disaster

mitigationandresponsemanagement.Informalcapacitydevelopmentinstitutions(NGOsandprivate

firms) are the dominant capacity development providers andmostly these capacity development

initiativesareshort-termandofferedbynon-accreditedinstitutions.

Thecourseisfullyonline,supportedbyanonlinediscussionplatform,weeklyassignmentsandessaysthatsupportstudents’learninganddevelopment.StudentsaredrawnfromavarietyofbackgroundsincludingstaffmembersfromlocalNGOs,INGOs,NDMOandlineMinistries.

Pacific-baseduniversitylecturer.


11

ThelargenumberoftrainingsofferedbyNGOsandtrainingorganisationscoverafairlywiderangeof

courses, such as the evacuation centre management, emergency response management, initial

damageneedsassessment,emergencyoperationcentre,riskreduction,exercisemanagement,and

risk programme management. A significant number of trainings in disaster response have been

undertakenacrossthePacificIslandregion;howeveralmostnoneofthesecoursesareaccreditedor

resultinarecognizedtertiaryqualification(withtheexceptionofaTAF/USAIDsupportedcoursewith

SwinburneUniversity’sGraduateCertificateinDisasterManagementwhichceasedin2010).However,

eightdisastermanagementstaffmembersweresupportedtocompletethecourse,withseveralshort-

term training programmes completed. In a different area, theUniversity of the South Pacific, the

region’slargesttertiaryinstitutionlocatedinSuva,Fiji,initiatedaClimateChangeProgrammein1999.

Initially conceived, developed and delivered by the International Global Change Institute at the

University of Waikato, the programme is designed to build capacity for Pacific Island countries.

Subsequently, the programme was suspended due to lack of scholarships to maintain sufficient

numberoftrainees,butwasre-instatedin2008.ProfessionalandtechnicalsupporttotheUniversity

oftheSouthPacific fordevelopmentofnewCCAcoursesandprogrammedeliveryhasbeenmade

available from theUniversityof theSunshineCoast inQueensland,Australia. Theprogrammestill

facespotentialproblemsduetolimitedfinancialsupportforstudentsfromFijiandotherPacificisland

countries(TheWorldBank,n.d.).

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) highlighted that formal and informal coordination

mechanisms such as the PacificHumanitarian Team (PHT) are a vital supportmechanism to state

actors thatdemonstratedacollectiveand inclusivemechanismforall stakeholdersduringdisaster

response (Gero, 2013).However, there is limitedpreparedness and training scopewithin thePHT

coordination mechanism. In addition, the Pacific DRM Partnership Network (PDRMPN) was

established by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Geoscience Division to provide a

platformforcollaborationtosupportdisasterriskmanagementcapacitybuildinginterventioninthe

regionandimplementthewiderdisasterriskreductionandmanagementframeworkforaction2005

-2015. Furthermore, theTrainingEducationandAwarenessUnitwithinNDMOsand theUNCivil-

Military training coordination mechanism have been pursuing similar objectives in the capacity

development field. However, these coordination arrangements have been ad hoc, project-based,

informal,andlimitedinreachandonlyafeworganisationshaveengagedwiththissortofcapacity

development,andisyettoreceivesector-widerecognition.Similarly,IFRC(2015)articulatedthatthe

verynatureofshort-termtrainings,lackofsystematiccapacityneedsassessmentandtheabsenceof

astrategictrainingstrategywhereindividualcoursescanbuildoneachotheraresignificantbarriers


12

to a coherent and strategic capacity building programme (IFRC, 2015). These findings also

demonstratethelackofaprofessionaldisastermanagementworkforceandqualitylearningeducation

programmes in the region. In a separate study conducted by theUNDP and the Fiji Government,

institutionalarrangementsforsharingandcoordinatingtrainingagendasand initiativesare lagging

andthereforenotreflectiveofthecurrentoptionsavailable.

ThePacificgovernmentsplayamarginalroleinprovidingandcoordinatingthecapacitybuildingand

developmentservicesasitismainlylefttoNGOs,academicandotherinternationalinstitutions.The

number of capacity development initiatives and the quality of services provided to disaster

managementofficialsshowsarisingchallengeofcollaborationamongtrainingproviders.Theabsence

ofasharedmechanismandcapacitydevelopmentplansisanidentifiedgap,andresultsdemonstrate

an urgent need for disastermanagement initiatives and courses be collaborated and recorded. A

shared platform for training activities would enhance complementarity and effectiveness while

minimisingduplication.Itisconsideredthattrainingprovidersarenotpayingsufficientattentionto

trainingmodalityanddesign,sharingtheprogrammeagendawithstakeholders,andarenotengaging

incapacityneedsassessmentwhichcouldinformeffectivelearningopportunitiesanddevelopment

objectives.

StudyconductedbyIFRC(2015)highlightedthatthedisastermanagementtrainingswereinlargepart

short-term,fragmented,ad-hocwithinsufficientattentiontotheneedsassessmentandmonitoring

and evaluation that could have otherwise improved programme effectiveness and disaster

managementcapacity(IFRC,2015).Similarly,OCHA(2012) indicated“alltrainingshouldbealigned

towardtheoverall“professionalization”ofdisastermanagement,includingwithsequentiallearning

stages”(Clifton&Hawley,2012).However,theresearchrevealedthattrainingsareopportunistically

designedthroughreactiveandadhocinitiativeswithlimitedornorelationshipbetweencoursesand

capacitybuildingprogrammesthatcouldhaveresultedinarecognizedqualification.Thisfragmented

capacity building approach can be overcome through a thorough institutional and developmental

approachwithafocusongraduatesequentialprocessestoallowparticipantstobuilduponprevious

learningexperienceandknowledge.

Partof stakeholdersanalysis, it reveals thatdisastermanagementandhumanitarianorganisations

playasignificantroleindisasterandhumanitarianresponseinthePacific.Thepicturebelowhighlights

thesector-widenetworkamonghumanitariananddisastermanagementorganisationsthatreveals

theposition, reachand interestsof various community-based,NGOsand localorganisations to its

internalandexternalenvironmentespeciallythedisasteraffectedcommunities,government(NDMO)

andinternationalmechanism(clusters).Itisclearthatcommunity-basedgroups,localorganisations


13

and faith-based organisations that are established in communities, who are then impacted by a

disaster, are better placed to use their networks to reach the affected community and mobilise

resources. This non-linear structure defines the effectiveness of various organizations in terms of

reach,accesstothedisasterenvironmentandtheinternalcontextandmotivationtoquicklyreach

localcommunities.

Figure4:Disastermanagementandhumanitarianstakeholders’relationships


14

Thepicturedemonstratesthatfaith-basedorganisations,privatesector,localNGOsandcommunity-

basedinstitutionsarecloselylinkedtothedisasteraffectedcommunities,whileINGOs,donors,and

regionalorganisationsarebetterconnectedtogovernmentandclustercoordinationmechanismand

itsconstituency.

Thisdiagramcanbeusefulforinformingandstructuringcapacitydevelopmentinterventionsforthe

variousgroups.Forexample,stakeholdersdealingdirectlywithcommunitiesneedskillsinevacuation

centremanagement,communityengagementandfieldlevelcoordination,whilestaffmemberswho

work in positions of management in head office might benefit instead from courses relating to

programmedesign,communicationandcoordinationskillsattheclusterlevel.

Capacitydevelopmentmodality

There are a large number of capacity development courses classified into five core trainings and

development modalities including graduate certificate; short-term courses; on the job trainings;

online distance training courses and; simulation and exercises provided by a large number of

stakeholdersintheregionandthePacific.Thesemodalitieshavebeenillustratedasfollowing;

Figure5Humanitariananddisastermanagementcapacitymodality


15

GraduateCertificateLevelCourse

There are few local and regional universities around the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand that

providedisasterriskmanagementandhumanitariancoursesrelevanttodisastermanagementand

climatechange.Thesecoursesfocusonthetheoreticalsideofdisastersandarenotwellgroundedin

real-worldchallengestosupporthumanitarianactorsandpartnersintimesofdisasterresponse:

FijiNationalUniversityoffersaPostGraduateonlineCertificateinDisasterRiskManagementthatis

largelycentredontheoreticalaspectsofdisastermanagementwithlimitedopportunityforpractice

andexercises.Thisistheonlyacademicgraduateprogrammethatiscurrentlyonofferwithvarious

technicalandoperationalchallengeshighlightedasfollowing;

Ø Limited capacity of lecturers and academics in terms of both experience and

qualification in the areas disaster management and humanitarian assistance to

effectivelydesignanddeliverthecourse

Ø Online forum isoftennotthemostsuitableplatformforstudentsgiventhe internet

accessissuesinthePacific

Ø No opportunity to run simulations or practical exercises within the capacity and

structureofthecourse

Therearealotofscholarshipsofferedbydonors,butonlythosewhohaverelationshipwithhighergovernmentauthoritycangetthescholarship,nottheordinarypeople.

Localorganisationstaffmember

TheSolomonIslandsNationalUniversityprovidesanabridgedcoursefornursingstudentscovering

introductiontoDisasterManagementandInitialDamageAssessmentcourses.TheUniversityofSouth

Pacific in collaboration with theUnited Nations University(UNU),Royal Melbourne Institute of

Technology (RMIT)and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) offer a Strategic

EnvironmentalAssessmentCourse.

VariousgraduatedisastermanagementcoursesareonofferthroughanumberofAustraliantertiary

institutions, including ANU, DeakinUniversity, Charles Sturt, Edith Cowan and Flinders University.

Details can be found at the Australian Civil-Military Centre https://www.acmc.gov.au/learning-

development/civil-military-courses/


16

Short-termcourses

As of this year, there aremore than 100 individual training courses on offer by 30 various non-

academicproviders,suchasNGOsandprivatesector,inthePacificregion.Maintrainingprovidersare

RedR,IFRC,SPC,AsianDisasterPreparednessCentre(ADPC)andtheUnitedNations.Mostofthese

courses share similar objectives and training approaches, however there is limited information

providedontheirwebsitesabout thecurriculumanddeliverymethods,whichmakes itdifficult to

conductacomprehensivecomparisonbetweenallcourses.

Mostoftheseshort-termprogrammesinclude;

Ø Lectures

Ø Groupwork

Ø Reportwriting

Ø Exercises

A significant pitfall of the large number training courses are that there is no logical coherence,

structures and steps that one course can build on others, thereforeminimizing its impact. This is

primarilybecauselearninganddevelopmentagendasarenotcoordinatedamongstakeholdersboth

duringdesignanddelivery.Theimportanceofsimulation,coachingandpracticalworkarenotwell

integrated,limitingtheimpactoftheoreticalknowledgeonparticipants.

A fewkey informantsexplainedtheselectionprocessof thosewhoattendthesetypesofcourses,

reportingthattheselectionofparticipantsissometimesunfair.

Participants’selectionfortrainingsisnotbasedonroleandrelevancetothejob,whilemostlyonrelationshipandstatusofrepresentingtheorganisation.Mosttrainingareattendedbyfewindividualswhileopportunitiesarenotpassedtoothers.

GovernmentOfficial

Althoughtheshort-termandconcisenatureofthecoursemakethemasuitableandattractiveoption

forworkingstaffmembers,italsohassomechallenges.Oftenthesecoursescoveralotoftopicsin

quicksuccession,narrowtrainingmaterials,andaverytheory-focused,makingitdifficultforstudents

to develop sufficient skills and interests in such short courses (one month or less). Hence, it is

extremelydifficultforthesectorasawholetointegrateandlinkpeoplewhohaveundertakenbrief

shortcoursesintopracticalprojectswherestudentscanpracticetheoriesandskills.


17

On-the-jobtraining

Thismodelhasattheleastamountofliteratureandbackgroundinformationthatwasgatheredinthe

researcher’sinitialdeskreview.On-the-jobtrainingdoesn’tappeartobeaformalandcommonwork

practiceinadisastersituation.Despitethis,suchaprogrammecouldbeeffectivelyintegratedthrough

awell-structuredsystemofexpertiseandknowledge transferbetweena seniorpractitioneranda

graduateemployee.

Onlineanddistancetrainingcourses

Consideringtheoperationalandlogisticalchallengestosetupdisastermanagementcoursesineach

region and country, online disaster management courses are an attractive option for capacity

development.Whiletherearemanybenefitstoreachandaccommodatelargenumberofparticipants

fromvarious locationswithminimumcost, there arepotential challengesespecially indeveloping

countrieswhere internetaccessandtechnologycanmake it farmoredifficult. Additionally, some

disciplines essentially need practical field work and with off campus learning, often this is not

achievable.

Thefollowingacademicinstitutionsandserviceprovidersareofferingonlinetrainingcourses:

Ø FijiNationalUniversity

Ø CharlesDarwinUniversity

Ø OnlinedisastermanagementgraduatecourseattheUniversityofNewCastle

Ø TheUnitedNationsforAsiaandthePacificoffersDisasterRiskManagementE-learning

platform.Thecoursecanbeaccessedherehttp://137.189.162.178/

Simulationandexercises

Thereare fewpractice-based simulationexercises focusingondisastermanagement, coordination

and communication conducted periodically in the Asia Pacific region designed to improve

humanitarianresponsetodisasters.TheUNinitiatedregularsimulationexercisesconductedannually

attheregionalandnationallevelfocusedoncivil-militarycoordination.Inaddition,thereareafew

intergovernmentalexerciseswhichare facilitatedby internationalor regionalorganizations.These

simulationexercises,listedbelow,arelimitedinscopeandsizeanddonotfulfilthevastrequirements

atoperationalandorganisationallevelinthePacific.

Ø TheUSAIDsimulationexercises


18

Ø TheUNInter-AgencyEmergencySimulation

Ø ASEANDisasterResponseSimulation(ARDEX)

Ø ASEANForumReliefexercise(ARF-DiREx)

Theseexercisesgiveresponseanddisasterreliefmanagersanopportunitytoworkwithinthecluster

mechanism, national system and theories in a controlled environment. This opportunity helps to

improve coordination and communication among stakeholders at various level, and potentially

createsfurtheropportunitiesfortheseparticipantstobecomeconnectedwithlongtermcoursesand

furtherskillsandexpertisedevelopment.

Capacityservicesproviders

As alreadymentioned above, there are a wide range of academic and non-academic institutions

engaged in capacity building courses and opportunities in disaster management, disaster risk

managementandclimatechangeadaptation.AnexhaustivelistisprovidedinAnnexA.

Non-academicinstitutions,suchasNGOsandprivatefirms,arethedominantcapacitydevelopment

providersintheAsiaPacificregion,andresearchdemonstratesthattheseinitiativesareusuallyshort-

termcourses,andtherefore,considerednotasvaluableascourseswhichareoffered(andnotalways

accessible)byaccreditedinstitutions.Thesecoursesoftenfocusongeneralknowledge,introductory

and refresher courses rather than building specific expertise. On the other hand, government

departmentsplayamarginalroleinprovidingcapacitybuildinganddevelopmentasitismainlyleftto

private sector andNGOs. The number of private capacity development service providers and the

qualityofservicesprovidedtodisastermanagementofficialsshowsarisingchallengeofcollaboration

amongproviders.Theabsenceofasharedvisionandcapacitydevelopmentplansisatrendbutisin

highneedforthedisastermanagementsector.

CapacitydevelopmentprogrammesinthePacific:

Thereasontofocusontrainingmodalitycanbedescribedbythecurrentabundanceofshort-term

training courses and training providers in disaster preparedness in order to provide effective

humanitarianassistanceduringemergencysituations.Trainingprovidersinthehumanitariansector

havefocusedonstrategiesrelatingtotheimmediateresponseafterhumanitariancatastrophe.While

theshort-termfocusmayhavebeenpositiveontheoverallemergencysituation,therearequiteafew

adverseobservationson theoveralldisastermanagement.Firstly, the short-term focusof training

courseshasmadeitdifficulttoconductthefeasibility,needsassessmentandexplorationstudiesof


19

existingandprevioustrainingcourses.Secondly,itrevealsthatparticipantshavenotparticipatedin

the training curriculum and materials, demonstrating a lack of evidence-based capacity building

programmes.Thishasbeenconfirmedbykeyinformantandfocusgroupdiscussionsincludingstudies

conductedbyOCHAandUNDPthathighlights initialdamageandneedsassessment, coordination,

information sharing and communication as key training priorities for an effective disaster

managementsector.Whilethesehavebeenhighlightedaskeypriorityareas,themappingexerciseof

capacity building programmes revealed limited trainings on offer to build coordination and

communicationcapacityinthesector.Forexample,theFijiandSolomonIslandsdisastermanagement

planstatesthatthetrainingsforgovernmentstaffandlocalgraduatesindisastermanagementwill

focusonmitigationandpreparedness,showingalackofunderstandingaroundtheneedforincreased

coordinationandcommunicationcapacity.

In addition, disaster management officials and humanitarian actors were asked about the

effectivenessofpreviouslearninganddevelopmentcoursesinthePacific.Themajorityofparticipants

(51.35%) indicatedmostly effective; some show (16.22%) completely effective; (27%) highlighted

moderatelyeffective,whileonly2.70%indicatedmostlyineffectiveandcompletelyineffective.

Figure6:Satisfactionofresearchparticipantswithcurrentandprevioustrainingsmodalitiesintermsofeffectiveness

Theoverallcapacitydevelopmentstrategyisrunbyvariousdifferenttrainingmodalitiesthatmaximize

opportunity for individuals andorganisations to fulfil demandsand requirements.Amixtureof all

thesedifferentmodalitieswouldhelpprospectivestudentsandorganisationstodeveloptheirskills


20

andexpertise,thereforemeetingtherequirementoftheirrolesintheirorganisation.Thetablebelow

highlights various capacity modalities that illustrate advantages and disadvantages and its target

recipientoftheprogramme.

ProgrammeModality TargetedGroup Advantages DisadvantagesGraduate

diploma/certificate

levelcourse(six

monthsormorein

duration)

Universitystudents

NDMOemployees

ClimateChange

organisations,

employees

NGOs

Comprehensiveandfocusedon

variousunitsandsubjects

Conciseandintroductory

Resultsinacademicqualification

Timeconsuming

NolinkstospecificDRRprojects

Limitedexercisesandsimulation

Limitedornolinkwithresearch

projects

Limitedrangeofsubjectoptions

Requiresgraduatedegree

Needsimprovementindesign

anddelivery

Short-termcourses

(lessthanamonthin

duration)

Disastermanagement

andclimatechange

projects,NGOsandthe

privatesector

Linkstospecificprogrammesand

projects

Alignedtoorganisations’human

resourceplan

Canbeadjustedtomeetneeds

andrequirementsofindividuals

Limitedsimulationandexercises

Noacademicqualification

Short-termfocusedandcannot

buildexpertise

NeedsstrongToTtoensure

effectivenessandimpact

Qualityvaries

Expensivefornon-donorfunded

participants

Technicalassistancein

theformofon-thejob

training(mentoring

andcoaching)by

externalconsultant

Recentgraduates

Disastermanagement

staffmembers

NGOsandprivatesector

Practicalandworkfocused

Canbewellalignedtoindividual

ToRs

Skillsfocusedonthejob

Limitedstrategicexposure

Noqualification

Cannotbuildexpertise

Challengeforexternalconsultant

tobeappropriatelymatchedwith

localcounterpart

Onlinecourses Recentgraduatesof

previoustrainingand

employeesofvarious

organisations

Accessible

Inexpensive

Canbechallengingfornon-

technologyuser

Needshighlevelvisualizationand

self-explanatorystrategy

Needsfurtherdevelopment

Technologicalobstacles

Practicalexperienceand

simulationcanbedifficult

Thefirstmodalityoutlinedinthetablefitstheformaleducationandacademicqualificationbracket,

while the second, third, and forth modalities are often considered as informal education and

qualifications.Thesecategoriesarenotsetinstone,andareeasilyblurredconsideringtheabundance

oftrainingcoursesandtrainingprovidersavailable.However, it isclearfromthesefourmodalities

thattheresearch-basededucationalmodalitycannotbelocallysourcedinthePacific.

Theaforementionedtrainingmodalitiesvarylargelyintheirparticularsbutsharesomegeneraldesign

anddeliveryelementsthathavebeenacknowledgedbytheresearchparticipants.


21

Similaritiesincludebutarenotlimitedto:

Ø The main drivers of these programmes are NGOs and donor funded projects with

limitedbuy-infromthelocalgovernmentthatlimitsreachandlongtermsustainability

Ø Thelastthreemodesofcapacitybuildingdeliveryaremainlyshort-terminnaturewith

minimumtimetopracticedisastermanagementskills

Ø The last three modalities do not result in academic credential which restricts

organisationalreputationandconfidenceofitsbeneficiaries.

Theprogrammesvarylargelyincontent,designanddeliverymethodology.Significantobservations

arenotedasfollowing;

Ø No logical steps or sequences among individual training courses except graduate

diplomaandcertificatelevelcoursesprovidedbyacademicinstitutionsinAustraliaand

Pacific(FijiNationalUniversity).

Ø Trainingcontent,topicsandthemesvariestoalargeextent

AtthenationallevelofSolomonIsland,FijiandVanuatu,therehasbeenasignificantinvestmentin

traininganddevelopmentofpolicyandprocedurestoguidedecision-makingandstrategicresponse

todisasters.Manyprogrammesthataredesignedtobeshorttermaremismatchedtotheneedsfor

systematiccapacityneedsassessment.Manytalentedindividualsingovernmentandcivilsocietyhave

thepotentialtoeffectivelyleadresponsetodisasters,howevermostwouldbenefitfromfurtherlong-

termtrainingandspecificsupportaimedatenhancingtheirprofessionaldevelopment,informedby

internationalexperienceandbestpractice,andguidedbyculturallyappropriatemodelsdevelopedin

partnershipwithPacificIslandcommunitiesandagencies.

Considering the wide range of training interventions with various delivery modalities, there is a

potentialneedforacoordinatedapproachtoidentifythegapsandneedsintrainings,andtoidentify

themodalityanddeliverytoolsdeemedappropriatefortheintendedaudience.Therefore,thereisan

emphasis for a professional development capacity building programme for appropriate disaster

management responders and humanitarian personnel through a sequential academic longer term

processthatcanbedirectlylinkedtoneeds,strategiesandnationaldisastermanagementlegislation.

Theattainmentofappropriateskillsandknowledge isadevelopmentalprocess thatwouldenable

actors and organisations to systematically manage disasters and humanitarian response more

effectively.


22

Chapterthree-

Significantcapacitygapsand

skillsdemandsThereareaseriesofcapacitygapsindisasterpreparednessandhumanitarianresponseincludingthe

modalities of current trainings offered that are closely associatedwith disastermanagement and

humanitarian response challenges in the Pacific. The analysis of the humanitarian and disaster

managementsectorrevealspotentialgapsinorganisationalleadershipandcommunicationmethods,

that impact effectiveness when looking at the cluster system. Two of the identified broad

organisational gaps include coordination and needs assessment capacity on the one hand and

organisationalcultureandautonomousapproachesontheother,thatresultsinalackoftrust,conflict,

duplication and several other negative impacts highlighted in the below diagram. Coordinating

humanitarianresponseinterventionsandcommunicatingneedsandprioritiesaswellasgapsinthe

leadership,system,processesandskillswhichwillbearticulatedinthevisualoverleaf.

More than half of informants from humanitarian organisations across the Pacific reported that

humanitarian responses were being held back by the leadership talent characterised by the

organisation culture and its autonomous approach to response mechanism and decision-making,

leading to limited engagements and communication with other humanitarian stakeholders.

Willingnessofstakeholderstosharedisasterresponsechallenges,needsandprioritieswouldhelpto

guideacoordinatedresponseandestablishtrustandrelationships,supportingmoreeffectivecapacity

utilisation. Furthermore, communication is a key aspect of the disaster response challenge and a

precursor for effective coordination to occur. Two key causes of communication gaps are needs

assessment and lack of coordination. Assessments are challenged by a plethora of structures and

templates,resultinginamurkypictureofneedsandpriorities,makingtheresponseinitiativedifficult

to coordinate. In addition, coordination is a large cluster that often encompasses a fragmented

responsestructureanda lackofsharedunderstandingthat isdemonstratedthroughgendergaps,

inequality,andduplicatingresourcesinthecommunitythatcanhavemanynegativeinfluencesonthe


23

qualityofaresponse.Similarly,Gero(2013)highlightedimportantdeterminantsofadaptivecapacity

in the Pacific to be communications, leadership including human, financial and technical capacity

(Gero,2013).

Figure7:Skillsandcapacitygaps

Lackofanintegratedandcomprehensiveneedsassessment:

Theneedsassessmentindisasterresponsecontextisdefinedasaprocessusedbyorganizationsto

highlightinitialdamagetohumanlifeandlivelihoodfollowingadisaster.Itaimstoprovideessential

information on the needs of the affected population and delineate priorities for humanitarian

response.Thevariousdesignandportrayaloftheinitialneedsassessmentbydifferentactorscauses

confusionanddelaytotheoverallhumanitarianinterventionswhileacknowledgingthateachagency

andclusterhasanexplicitfocus,needandcapacitytorespondinthesector.Lackofaconsolidated

and unified assessment template delays the overall humanitarian response. As a result, data and

information which has been collected through varying structures (Community Disaster Councils,

online applications, government official and NGOs) and fragmented templates are difficult to

consolidateforanalysisandreporting,leadingtoconfusionandmisunderstandingaboutcommunity

needsandprioritiesareas.Inaddition,stakeholderslacksufficientcapacitytothoroughlyintegrate

genderandprotection issues intoneedsassessment,programme implementation,andmonitoring

andevaluation.Thecapacityofboth internationaland localstakeholdersneedstobe increased in


24

relationtogenderandotherprotectionconcernsthroughparticipationandpriorities,sothesethemes

canbeintegratedintoallareasoftheresponse.

There are structural, systemic and expertise gaps within the current damage and initial needs

assessments. Firstly, data is collected via different tools, structures andmechanisms thatmake it

difficult to collate and conduct a systematic and consistent analysis. Secondly, the structure for

informationdeliverymechanismdependsonpersonalrelationshipsandindividualunderstanding.For

example,somedatacomesthroughthedepartmentofalocalprovinceorauthority,whileothersare

directlylinkedfromcommunitytotheNDMOincapital.Thirdly,informationhasbeencollectedand

deliveredbutnotanalysedduetolackofskillsorresourcesor ithasbeendelayedconsideringthe

limitedconsensusintermsofhowitistobeanalysed,ortheabsenceofaToRdefiningtherolesfor

analyse.Thesegapshaveledtothefollowingresults:

Ø Stakeholdersrespondedwithoutacomprehensivepictureofneedsandpriorityareas

that led to duplication of distributing relief items while other individuals and

communitiesdidnotreceiveanyhumanitarianassistance.

Ø Theassistancehasledtoconflictandtensionsinsomecasesonthebasisthatfewof

thecommunitymembersreceivedassistancewhileotherwereleftout.

Ø Theassessmentbydifferentorganisationscapitalizedoncommunityexpectationandit

wasdifficulttomanageexpectationsduringthehumanitarianresponse.

Thesegapsat thenationaland local levelcontributetothepreventionofneedsassessmentbeing

effectivelydeployed in thecommunity.Forexample,communities in theTCPamaffectedareas in

Vanuatu became frustrated anddisillusionedwith needs assessments and questionnaires, as they

wereinundatedwithINGOs,witheachorganisationundertakingtheirownseparateassessmentsfor

data collection to determine needs and priorities. This undermined other coordination and

communication processes that led to limited coordination in the sector. This is partly due to the

delicate leadership in terms of determining a basic structure for needs assessment and providing

guidanceandsupporttostakeholdersonoperationalizationandmanagement.Ithasbeenrevealed

thatresearchparticipantsarenotsatisfiedwiththeassessmenttoolsanditdoesnotprovidesufficient

informationtoidentifyvulnerablecommunitiesinordertodesignarelevanthumanitarianassistance.

Theproblemwaswewerenotawarewhereweneededtohavemoreinvestmentandhowmuchwehavealreadyinvestedineachsector,thedatawasnotthereandfinallynowweknowthatweneededmoreinvestmentinshelterclusteraswehavedonelittleinthatarea.

INGOstaffmember


25

A rapid and consistent analysis of data obtained through a unified process must be ultimately

advantageous.Thismustbesuchthatallagencies involved indisasterresponseacceptandusean

integratedassessmenttemplateappropriatelywithaclearstructurefordatacollection,management,

analysisandsharing.Thereisaclearneedforastandardizedandsystematicassessmentmethodology

inordertocaptureareliablepictureofthedisastersituation.

Acriticalcommunicationandcoordinationchallenge:

Theseresearchfindingssupportwhathasbeenconsistentlyhighlightedbyevaluations,researchand

assessment of past responses, that communication and coordination are critical challenges and

potentialareasforimprovementatalllevels.Whenadisasterstrikes,keycoordinatingbodieswere

oftennotpreparedtomobilizeanddeploytheappropriateorganisationsandresourcestotheaffected

areas. For example, in the case of Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, it took a long time to operationalize

disaster response structure,mobilizeanddeploy resourcesand stakeholders.Another challenge is

whencoordinatinghumanitariananddisastermanagementactorshavelimitedunderstandingofthe

availableresources,capacityandreachofhumanitarianactorsinthesector.Inaddition,stakeholders

werenotclearhowthearrangementsputinplacebytheNationalDisasterManagementPlanworks

inordertoquicklymobilizedisasterresponse.Thechallengeisfurtherexacerbatedbythedifferent

and fragmented needs assessment tools mentioned earlier deployed by different NGOs and

governmentstakeholdersthatmakeitdifficulttocommunicateneedsandcoordinatepriorities.

Lookingbacktopreviousdisasters,wehaveseriousproblemswithidentifyingthemostvulnerablepopulations,prioritizingandallocatingresourceseffectively.Wewerenotabletodistinguishwhoisaffectedmoreandinwhicharea,whoislessaffectedandwhoneedsthemosturgentassistance.Finallyweendedupsendingtheassistancetoawrongarea(lessaffectedcommunity)andthemostvulnerablewereleftout.Weneedskills,toolsandsystemtoexplorethesituationandmakethoroughdecisioninordertoprioritizethemostvulnerableandallocateurgenthumanitarianassistanceasquicklyaspossible.

Governmentdisastermanagementpractitioner

Inthiscontext,communicationiscriticalforgoodinterchangeofinformationthatwouldcontribute

to greater coordination. A clear need to develop good communication skills at all levels, within

governmentdepartments,betweenthesedepartmentsandorganisations,aswellaswiththewider

communitybasedorganisations.Similarly,communicationandcoordination ishighlightedasakey

priority by various other assessments includingUNOCHA (2012),UNDP (2014), IFRC (2015), and a

numberofother reports releasedby thePacific governments.While there is paramountneed for

communication and coordination trainings, there is a limited number of trainings on offer which


26

focusesonenhancingcommunicationandcoordinationskills.Communicationskillstrainingisvitalat

every level and is a precursor to effective coordination in response operations and preparedness

initiatives.Assuch,itshouldbearelevantcomponentintrainingandcapacitydevelopmentinitiatives.

ThereisverylimitedcommunicationinsideoftheNDMO–mostlystaffmembersareeitheronfieldmissionortrainings.Sincemyjoining,ithasbeen8monthsandtherehasbeennomeetingatall.Weoftengetinformedthroughourexternalstakeholdersaboutourprogrammes.Thereisnocommunicationmechanisminternallyandexternallythatwecangetinvolved,prepareormonitorthestatusofprojects.

Disastermanagementconsultant.

Countryspecificobservations

Ingeneral,therearesimilaritiesanddiversitiesinthehumanitarianresponseacrossthePacificand

withinFiji, Solomon IslandsandVanuatu.The followingarespecificobservationsdisaggregatedby

country;

Fiji

Ø Fiji has aproactive, committedandwell organisedgovernmentwhoeffectively lead

complexresponsessuchasCycloneWinston

Ø Good leadership capacity in terms of strong commitments adhering to government

standards,policiesandobligations

Ø Closed and territorial organisation environment in terms of involving humanitarian

stakeholdersindecisionmaking

Ø LackoftrustbetweengovernmentandinternationalINGOs

Ø Limitedunderstandingabouthumanitarianstructures,valuesandprinciples.

SolomonIslands

Ø Comprehensive organisation structures and disastermanagement plan that outlines

roleandresponsibilityofvariousplayersinthesector

Ø There is a closed mindset of organisations in regards to sharing information and

challengeswithotherstakeholdersinordertodevelopevidence-basedprogrammes.

Ø Ad-hoc and limited relationship among stakeholders to discuss preparedness and

humanitarianissues

Ø Stakeholderswereconcernedtheclusterapproachdoesnotfitthecountrycontextand

thelimitedhumancapacitywithingovernmentandnon-governmentorganisations.


27

Vanuatu

Ø Organisations are willing to share information among themselves, and open to

stakeholder involvement and participatory decision making about disaster

managementplans,legislationandotherpolicylevelissues

Ø Open to stakeholders to share information about disaster management issues,

challenges,needsandpriorities

Ø Reactive and laid back approach to preparedness, planning and development of

programmesandprojects

Ø Continuous and regular interaction and communication with stakeholders over

reviewing disaster management plan, act and development community-based

guideline.

Ø AfewprofessionalsfromI/NGOsaresecondedtothegovernmentandNDMOtositin

primarypositionsinthedisasterresponseoperationsroom.

Ø Leadanddrivenbyexternalconsultantandsupportfromdonororganizations.

Responsestructuremechanism

Stakeholders’interviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionrevealedthatstructures,policiesandplanshave

beendevelopedthatarticulatesthemandates,role,andresponsibilitiesofhumanitarianactorsand

government institutionswhichcanprovide sufficientguidanceand informationduringa response.

However,staffmember lackunderstandingof theseplan,policiesandSOPs.Therefore,awareness

needs tobebuilt regarding the responsestructure,SOPs,clustermechanismandarrangements in

placeforcoordinatingandmanaginghumanitarianresponsesmoreeffectively.

Whenthebigcountry(donors)fundNGOs,theyshouldprovidesomeassurancetoensurethattheseorganisationsareworkingwithlocalgovernment.Forexample,somereliefitemswereexpiredbutdistributedtocommunityandwherewehavealreadydistributedreliefitems,someorganisationsdistributedagaininthoseareas.

Governmentofficial.

As outlined previously, there are structural gapswithin existing communicationmechanisms. It is

difficult to receive direction and guidance from leadership down to community and vice versa

consideringthelinks,communicationchannelandhumancapacityatthedistrictandprovinciallevel.

The linkbetweentherolesofclustersandtherolesaffordedtoprovinceshasbeenarticulatedon

paperbutdonotfunctioninreality.Firstly,therearelimitedhumanresourcesattheprovincialand


28

districtlevelinallthreecountries.Theoutlinedplanfortheclusterstructurepresentinthecountry’s

capitalswouldbeabletoberolledoutatprovincialleveldidnottakeintoconsiderationgeographical

constraints and capacity gaps, therefore a functioning system at the provincial level is yet to be

achieved.Inaddition,thischallengeisexacerbatedbythelackoftheunderstandingaroundtheroles

and responsibilities, lack of available human resources, structure, geography and communication

infrastructureintimesofdisasteratdistrictandcommunitylevels.Theseissueshinderthespeedof

immediatereliefandresponse,aswellasslowingdown initialassessmentsof thesituationonthe

ground.

Everyoneisgoingtocommunitytoconductneedsassessment,collectinformationwithinashorttimeframewithoutaclearstructureandstakeholders’consensus.DuringtheCyclonePam,communitiesgotfrustratedwithmanyquestionsandassessmentsbydifferentNGOs.Finally,theassessmentwasdelayedandbythetimeweresponded,thecommunityhadalreadydevelopedalternativecopingmechanism.Thisisaverycrucialstageandweashumanitarianactorsneedtorespondasquicklyaswecangiventhepotentialriskandthreattohumanlife.

Formerdisastermanagementpractitioner.

Leadershipsapproachandbehaviour

Leadershipplaysacrucialroleinahumanitarianresponse.Governmentandnon-governmentactors

wouldbenefitfrompromotingparticipatoryleadershipbehaviourbyfocusingonholisticvision,result-

orientedapproaches,understandingthemotives,valuesandprinciplesofhumanitarianorganisations,

and openness to share and discuss disaster management challenges with the sector. Lack of

partnerships among aid agencies and government organisations can create further confusion for

partnerorganisationstocoordinatehumanitarianassistance.

AustralianandChinesewereusingtheirhumanitarianassistanceasanopportunitytogetclosertothePacificGovernmentandthathadsomeimpactontheoverallcoordinationamongthevariousstakeholderstocoordinatehumanitarianassistance.

UNofficial

Stakeholderscanbeeffectivelyengagedbyprovidinginformationandguidance,toenableabetter

understandingoftherolesandresponsibilitieswithinthecomplexhumanitarianstructure.Inaddition,

stakeholdersrequirestrategicguidanceandsupportregardingtheexistingresponsearrangements,

communicatingneedsandprioritiesandclearlyarticulatingwhatshouldbedonewhereandwhen.In

thecaseofCycloneWinston,whilethereareagreatnumberofpositiveleadershipaspects,suchas

locallyengagedactorswhoenabledquickmobilizationandresponsearrangementsintotheworsthit


29

areas,therewereissueswithstrictandcloseleadershipstylethataffectedtheabilityofhumanitarian

stakeholderstoeffectivelycontribute.Forexample,beingawareofthemotives,valuesandbeliefsof

thestakeholderswouldhavehelpedtoestablishedtrustandrelationshipswithexternalstakeholders

thatwouldhaveeffectivelyinvolvedINGOsinplanningandbuildingasharedvisionfortheresponse.

Whilenoresponsewillbeperfectlyexecuted,theabilityandexperienceofhumanitarianstakeholders

involvedshouldhavebeenabletomoreeffectivelynavigatethishighlycomplexresponse.Similarly,

there is also a need for a paradigm shift from a centrally-controlled approach to a decentralized

structure, where stakeholders can effectively participate and contribute within the humanitarian

architecture.

Governmentstakeholderscanhelptomakeorganisationalcultureandenvironmentmoreopenand

toleranttoexternalstakeholdersinordertogaintheirperspectivesabouthumanitarianresponseand

disaster management, while at the same time leading a multifaceted sector where issues and

challengescanbeopenlysharedandcontrolledbyutilizingresourcesmoreeffectively.

Governmentwasleadingandguidingtheresponseandsayingthisistheonlywayofdoingthings-wedistributethingstothecommunityandifyouwanttohelpthengiveittous.

INGOdirector.

InternationalactorsandNGOsneedstomakesurethesovereigntyofthecountryregardlessofwhateverassistanceandsupporttheybringtous.

Governmentstaffmember

Ingeneral, theFijiangovernmenthasbecomemoreopentocivilsocietyorganisationsbutarestill

veryclosedandsuspiciousof internationalNGOs.Considering thepreviousmilitary regimeand its

impact, theministry culture and environment is still very territorialmaking it challenging for civil

society and humanitarian organisations to contribute effectively. Among all players, Red Cross

Societies were the only organisations to have established trust and were deeply involved in

humanitarianresponsesandhavethoroughlyestablishedstrongrelationshipwithgovernmentactors

acrossFiji,VanuatuandSolomonIslands.

The study demonstrates a range of barriers and gaps that are explicitly linked to individual and

organisationalleadershipcapacity.Theassessmentfoundadirectrelationshipbetweenorganisational

leadership and performance in terms of humanitarian response and management. For example,

wheretherewaslimitedguidance,clarityandsupportfromtheleadorganisationstothesector-wide

stakeholders, thestakeholderswereoftenconfusedabouthowtooperationalizea task.However,

establishing a genuine link between organisation leadership and each activity performance is not


30

plausible given themultidisciplinary contextwhere alternative explanation is always possible. For

example, the needs assessment is a multifaceted exercise affected by various factors such as

leadership,system,structureandskills.

PartnersareveryactiveandtryingtodotherightthingbutwehavetowaitforNDMOtoguideandprovidedirectionthatwouldhelpfacilitateoperationandresponse.Forexample,wecannotdeliverassistancetoacommunitybeforeanNDMOdirectionandweneedtheirguidanceandsupportthatwouldhelpustodeliveryassistancetotheaffectedcommunity.Thiscausesmajordelaysinresponse.

INGOdirector.

Figure8:Barrierstoeffectivehumanitarianresponsemanagement

Supported by key informants and focus group discussions, the online survey underlined weak

communication,poorcoordinationaswellaslackofsupportfromleadershipandaccesstolearning

and development opportunities as key barriers to effective humanitarian and disaster response

management.

41.4%

51.7%

62.1%

10.3%

62.1%

37.9%

27.6%

72.4%

75.9%

3.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Organisation

Structure

Organisational

Procedures

Lackofsupportfrom

leadership

Short-termtrainings

Lackoflearningand

development

opportunity

Fragmented,disjoint

trainingprograms

Personal

circumstances

Poorcoordination

Weak

communication

Nobarriers

Whatwouldyouconsiderasbarrierstoeffective

humanitarian responsemanagement?


31

The majority, 75% of survey participants indicated weak communication and 72% believed poor

coordinationaskeybarrierstotheoverallhumanitarianresponse.Similarly,62%emphasizedsupport

from leadershipand lackof learninganddevelopmentopportunities. Some respondents indicated

organisational procedure (51%), organisational structure (41%), and fragmented and disjointed

training courses (37%), while fewer indicates personal circumstance, short-term trainings and no

barriersinordertomanageeffectivehumanitarianresponse.

Localizationofhumanitariansupport

Therearefewareaswherethelackoflocalisinghumanitariansupportcanbehighlightedassignificant

barriers in humanitarian assistance and capacity development programmes in the Pacific. Firstly,

internationalNGOsandregionalpartnersoftendirectlyimplementgrantsandcontracts.INGOsand

regionalstakeholderswhotypicallyleadandimplementhumanitarianresponsehavebeenfoundto

bedirectlyimpedinglocalorganisations’abilitytoimplementhumanitariandisasterreliefresponses,

duetotheirlimitedtechnicalandoperationalcapacity.

ACountryDirectorofanINGOsaid;

LocalorganisationshavemissedtheopportunitytoparticipateintheUNflashappealgiventheirmandatesandcapacityinthesector.Localorganisationsarefocusedondevelopmentandhaven’tgotthecapacitytoprepareabankablefundingproposalandmeetdonorsandINGOsrequirements.

Secondly,thedisastermanagementplan,respectivelegislativeActsandspecificregulationshaveall

beendevelopedandreviewedbyexternalconsultantsfromtimetotime,butwithlimitedsupportand

buy-in from local counterparts and staff members. Local staff members are often busy with

community-based programme initiatives and do not have sufficient time toworkwith short-term

consultantsondisasterplansandpolicies.Currently,therearesixinternationalshortandlongterm

consultantsintheGovernmentofVanuatu’sNDMOinstandalonepositions,meaningtheydonothave

local counterparts to work alongside of. Policy, plans, frameworks and structures have been

developed independently and when a disaster strikes, there is limited understanding about its

operationalizationandimplementationplan.Governmentorganisationsneedtosystematicallytrack

theseinterventionsanddevelopstrategiesinordertoabsorbcapacityfromconsultancyandtechnical

assistanceprovidedbydonorsandNGOs,otherwisethiscapacity,structureandsystemestablished

by external stakeholderswill collapse and local authorities and organisationsmay not be able to

sustainsuchasystemwithoutinternationalsupport.


32

Thirdly,thelevelofunderstandingandcapacitydoesnotfilterdownfromheadofficesinthelarger

citiestoprovincialanddistrictlevelauthorities.ThelinkbetweenprovincialandcentralNDMOand

thelevelofunderstandingatdivisionalanddistrictlevelisachallenge.Asindicatedbythiscomment

fromanINGOstaffmember“Toomanymeetingsbutnothinghappensandnofollow-upfromdistrict

authoritiesunless theyarepushedby their central office”.Divisional andprovincial staffmembers

expresstheyexperiencegreatconfusionabouttheirrolesandresponsibilities.Thisisfurtherimpacted

bythelackofcapacitywithinthecoordinatingbodyoflocalnon-governmentalorganisations.Despite

limitedoperationalandtechnicalcapacity,thecoordinatingagencyforlocalorganisationsneedsto

taketheleadtoestablishaviableplatforminthesesituations,notonlyforcoordination,butmore

importantlyforadvocacyandpolicydialoguetoeffectivelyovercomeandfacilitatelocalizationwithin

the sector.Many localNGOs are invisible to larger INGOs and centralised government structures,

thereforetheirabilitytobuildcapacity,networksandrelationshiphasnotbeenreached,leadingto

thelackofparticipationintheimmediateaftermathofadisaster.Thisinturncanleadtointernational

organisationscallinguponinternationalshorttermemployees,orsurgeteams,tosupportoperations

on the ground, and these surge team members often have little to no contextual and cultural

understanding.

InternationalNGOsparachutingintothedisastermanagementspacewithoutcontextualunderstanding.Theyneedtounderstandandappreciatethestructure,systemandpolicesalreadyinplace.AlotofinternationalNGOsworkedinplaceswheretherewasnogovernmentandtheyhadtodoeverythingbythemselves,buthereinthecaseofWinston,Fijihasgotaverystronggovernmentwhoiswillingtotaketheleadandhavethecapacitytofacethechallenge.ThiswasnewexperienceforalotofinternationalNGOsandhaddifficultytocommunicatewithgovernmentinsuchacontext.

Governmentofficial,Fiji

Asdemonstrated,thereisabigdisconnectbetweenthecentralgovernmentsittinginthecapitalcity,

andthelocalandprovinciallevelofgovernment.Thisismostapparentintermsoftheoverallsystems,

capacity,processesandhumanresources,andhowthiscentralgovernmentarchitecturetricklesdown

tothedistrictlevel.Additionally,thelocalandcentralgovernmentarenotwellconnectedtofacilitate

coordinatedassessmentstothedecisionmakersasquicklyaspossible.

Inequalityandprotection:

Inequalityandprotectionseemtobekeyissueswithinthehumanitarianresponsemechanism.The

Pacificcountrieshaveverydiversecultural,language,social,ethnicandreligiouslandscapesthatmake

gender, protection and inequality complex issues. Key informant interviews revealed that some


33

householdandcommunitiesdidnotreceivehumanitarianassistancefollowingtheCyclonePamand

CycloneWinstonresponse.

Thegovernmentwasbiasedassomemarginalisedgroupweremissingfromthehumanitarianreliefresponse.

INGOstaffmember

Itisnotclearwhetherthispitfallisduetopoormanagementandcommunicationpracticessuchas

needsassessmentoradeliberateactionbyindividualorgovernmentrepresentatives.Theseissues

canalsobeattributedtothepoliticalandmilitarizedapproachofstakeholderswithlimitedpowersin

humanitarian action to participate in decision making. Equally, government actors challenge

humanitarianorganisationsforbeinglesscooperativeduringdisasterresponse.

NGOsneedstogetthelistofhousesandcommunityfromustoseewhatisneededandwhohasbeenalreadysupported,butsomeorganisationsfindtheirwaysdirectlytothecommunitywithoutconsultationthatmakeitdifficultforus.

Governmentstaffmember.

Onthecontrary,thishasbeenrejectedbymanyNGOsonthebasisoflimitedinformationandclarity

ofthegovernmentabouttheneeds,prioritiesandthevulnerablecommunities.

Highlightingprivacyandsecurityconcerns,CARE(2016)indicatedthepossibilityofincreasedviolence

against women and vulnerable people around evacuation centres considering sexual violence

incidents reported inpreviousnaturaldisasteremergency responses. “SinceTCWinston therehas

beenalreadyacaseofrapereportedinmediaoutsideanevacuationcentre”(CARE,2016p.14).

Thekeyinformantinterviewsindicatedthattherearecasesofsexualassaultorsexualviolencefrom

humanitarianworkers involved in emergency programmes. People aremore at risk for assault or

exploitationduringemergencywherethereare limitedresourcesandhighdemandsforassistance

andsupport.

Wegetcallsfromcommunitythatyourstaffmembershavesexwitheveryoneinthecommunityandthenweneedtotributebypig.Cashprogramminginanemergencyisoftenriskyaswegivealotofmoneytoourlocalstaffmemberthatisputtingthematrisk.

INGOstaffmemberinVanuatu

Keyinformantinterviewsstressedthatthemonitoringandevaluationaspectoftheresponsecanbe

strengthen by providing richer and clearer information about how many men and women were

consultedinneedsassessment,whowerethemaindistributorsandrecipientsofassistanceinorder


34

toensuregenderinclusionandprotectionpracticesaretakenintoconsiderationinaresponse.Data

and information canbedisaggregatedusingdifferentmeans andmethods to ensure equality and

accountability.Thishasbeenfurtherreinforcedbytherecentgenderandprotectionassessmentof

CycloneWinston conducted by CARE that recommends consultation with women and vulnerable

groups to ensure special needs, disaggregation of data by gender, collecting data on special

arrangementsforpeoplei.e.peoplelivingwithHIVandaccesstosafetyanddignity(CARE,2016).

Thereareculturebarriersinourcommunity-whenthehumanitarianassistancecomeintooperations,someofourstaffmembersonlythinkoftheirowntribalregardlessofourfocusandintentinthehumanitariancontext

INGOdirector.

Stakeholderslacksufficientcapacitytothoroughlyintegrategenderandprotectionissuesintoneeds

assessment, programme implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. The capacity of both

international and local stakeholders to highlight gender based priorities must be well integrated

coveringparticipation,gender-basedprioritiesandprotectionatalllevels.Organisationsneedtobuild

awarenessandcapacityoflocalstaffmemberswhoareatthefrontlineofreliefitemsdistribution.

Skillsandknowledgeabouthumanitarianassistancewouldhelptobringtheassistancetothetargeted

communities.

Capacitydevelopmentneeds

Capacitydevelopmentneedsvaryfromindividualto individual,countrytocountry,organisationto

organisation. In the multifaceted disaster management and humanitarian context in the Pacific,

almost all participants from key informant and focus group discussions across the Pacific have

consistently requested longer term capacity development programmes along with academic

qualification.Themajorityofinformantsexpressedtheirhopeforamorein-depthunderstandingof

humanitarianclustersystem,projectmanagement,coordination,communication,assessmenttools,

and leadership skills that would help to quickly mobilize resources and coordinate humanitarian

initiativesintimesofdisaster.Participantsexpressedpotentialinterestsindevelopinganalyticalskills

intermsofdesigningcollaborativehumanitarianprogrammes,dataanalysis,budgeting,prioritizing

multifaceted needs and designing humanitarian initiatives. The analysis of various management

functions highly emphasized the importance of establishing a programme management capacity

buildinginitiativesinhumanitarianemergencywhichunderpinsskillstoconductrapidassessments,

designingprogrammeconceptsforassistanceanddevelopcommunicationandnegotiationskillsto

highlightneedsandmobilizeresourcesinordertoquicklyovercomehumanitariancatastrophes.


35

Sharingdataandinformationwasabigchallengeandwestilldon’thaveenoughinformationtoseewherethegapsareandwhatthemainchallengesare.Ifthegovernmentunderstandthevalueofinformationandwhatthatcanbringtothecommunity,thenwehavebuiltabigcapacity

UNofficial.

Figure9:Demandsforskillsindisastermanagementandhumanitarianspheres

Despitethekeychallengesoutlined,theassessmentfoundthatthemajorityofhumanitarianactors

atthemanagementlevelhavedemonstratedsomelevelofunderstandingofthebasichumanitarian

concepts that includes humanitarian cluster approaches, initial needs assessment, community

engagementandcoordinationmechanism for stakeholders.However, staffmemberswouldhighly

benefit fromaunit introducing the foundationsof humanitarian aid, including concepts, theories,

valuesandprinciples.AsmallnumberofgovernmentagenciesandinternationalNGOshighlightedthe

need for technical operational skills covering logistics, shelter andWASH in terms of developing

standardsforhousing,supplychainandsecuritymanagement.Comparatively,thesetechnicalskills


36

(logistics,shelterandWASH)havenotbeenhighlightedbythekeyinformantinterviewstoagreater

extentconsideringthevastneedsformanagementskillscoveringfoundationofhumanitarian,project

management,communication,leadershipanddisastermanagementthatcoverskeyareashighlighted

intheabovevisual.Non-governmentalorganisationsandUNagenciesexpressedtheneedformore

conceptualknowledgeandunderstandingabouthumanitarianvalues,structure,andprinciplewhile

focusingontheneedofvulnerableandcommunity-basedstakeholders.However,somegovernments

emphasized the need for technical skills such as GIS, project management and monitoring and

evaluation.

Theanalysisandfindingsasoutlinedabovefrominterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionsissupported

bytheliteraturereview.InaninstitutionalstudyconductedbyUNDP(2014),itclearlyarticulatesthe

lack of sufficient staff to implement climate change and disaster risk management policies and

programmes.Thestudyoutlinesthatstaffareinneedoftechnicalandprojectmanagementskillsat

variouslevelfrompolicydevelopment,budgeting,implementation,andmonitoringandevaluation.

Various studies conducted by IFRC, UNDP and UTS confirmed that needs assessment is themost

fundamental and essential step in order to thoroughly implement any learning and development

programme.

Disasterfunctionalcapacity:

The responsemechanism and structure of humanitarian assistance is challenged by the lack of a

coherentprogrammemanagementapproachanda lackofexpertise in the sector. Individualsand

organisations are struggling to logically operationalize needs assessment, ensure coherence and

coordinateresponsewithinternational,regionalandlocalactors.Staffmembersatthemanagement

and leadership level lack sufficient understanding of the humanitarian architecture, response

structures, roles and responsibilities of humanitarian stakeholders. In addition, the programme

management,planning,anddesigningofhumanitarian initiativesarepoorlyunderstoodatvarious

levelsinanorganisation.Similarly,governmentsandlocalcounterpartsneedfurtherclarityaround

the role of the UN, its technical assistance, the importance of data tomake a potential case for

humanitarianassistanceandthetechnicaldimensionofmonitoringandevaluationtodemonstrate

accountability and assurance. There is also an identified need to effectively engage stakeholders,

highlight challenges and collaborate at themanagement and leadership level to identify areas for

engagement and coordination. When this is not the case, experience shows that this results in

inadequateinformationandlimitedawarenessaboutthepriorityareas,vulnerablepopulationsand

needsintheaffectedcommunities.Thesefunctionsunderpinavarietyofskillsneededtodesignand


37

manage a humanitarian programme covering project design, stakeholder engagement, project

management, communication,monitoring and evaluation skills thatwould fill the gap in order to

effectivelydesignanddeliverhumanitarianassistancetovulnerablecommunities.

Thedirectorofalocalorganisationsaid;

MyprojectmanagerhasresignedtwomonthsagoandIamstillstrugglingtoreplacehim,butIcannotfindapersonwithrelevantqualificationandskillsinthesector.Wearemeetingourdonororganisationseveryweekandtheyareexpectingustodemonstrateoutputsandoutcomes,butwecan’tdothatwithourcurrentorganisationcapacity.Asadirectoroftheorganisation,IcannotdoeverythingandIneedmystafftohelpmewithreporting,designingconceptsandanalysisofhumanitariansituationinordertomeetstakeholders’expectations.

Inaddition,localorganisationslackcapacitytoprepareabankablehumanitarianprojectandproposal

in order to participate at the OCHA flash appeal level. Similarly, local organisations are not

appropriatelyinformedorawareofdonorandINGOarrangementsandrequirementsatthenational

level.Localorganisationslackunderstandingofpoliciesandguidelinesincludinglimitedunderstanding

abouttheNationalDisasterManagementPlan,relevantlegislationanddisasterspecificregulations.

Localactorsfromlocalcommunitiesandatthenationallevelhavelimitedopportunitytoparticipate

invarioushumanitarianforumssuchastheVanuatuHumanitarianTeam,thehumanitarianforumin

Honiara (Solomon Islands) and Fiji. While local organisations and staff members have limited

understandingaboutpoliciesandplans,majorityoflocalstaffmembersandsectoralrepresentative

in disaster management committees have a more in-depth understanding and knowledge of the

community-basedstructures,community-basedearlywarningmechanisms,andlocalarrangements

suchthecommunity-baseddisastercommitteesinplaceforhumanitarianresponse.

ThegovernmentdidnotunderstandwhattheUNassistanceentails,theUNDACtechnicalneedsassessmentteamwascalledforassistance,butthegovernmentdidn’twanttoconducttheneedsassessment,

Staffmemberfromhumanitarianorganisation.

Duethemultifacetednatureofdisasterandcomplexnatureoflargestakeholders’involvementfrom

faith-basedtomilitary,INGOsandprivatesector,therearesignificantknowledgeandskillsgapsfacing

the humanitarian response initiatives. The survey and interviews revealed that the majority of

humanitarian management officials from NDMO, NGOs and private sector have a very basic

understandingofwhathumanitarianassistanceentails,theimportanceofdataandneedsassessment,

programmemanagementanddesign.Althoughgender,protectionandsocialinclusionissuesneedto

beinvestigatedindetail,trainingpackagesareyettobedevelopedtocovertheseconcerns,andthere


38

needs to be at least an introductory course to build gender awareness and capacity to ensure

protectionandinclusionduringthehumanitarianresponse.

Ifissuesareidentified,weshouldmakedecisionstoseewhoisresponsibleandwhoistakingresponsibilityaboutit,whichisoftennotclear.Sometimesinformationcomesontimebutnotpassedtothenextlevelornoactionistakenaboutit.

NDMOconsultant.

Communicationandcapacityneedsassessment:

HighlightedbythePHTregionalworkshopinSuva,mostoftheinterviewsincludinggovernmentand

non-governmentactorshighlightedtheirfrustrationswiththeneedsassessmentstructure,template,

andmechanismsfordatacollectionandanalysis,whichtheystatedisincoherentanddoesnotachieve

theintendedobjectives.Almostalloftheassessmentparticipantsarehighlyinfavourforstreamlining

theinitialneedsassessmentstructure,datacollectiontemplates,analysisandreportingthatwould

enable effective informationmanagement, as well as sharing and communicating the findings to

informneedsandpriorities.Interviewedparticipantshighlightedlackofskillsandknowledgetodesign

acollaborativeneedsassessmenttools,datacollection,analysisandreportingwithinthenationaland

localinstitutionsandgovernmentactors.Therefore,I/NGOsandgovernmentstakeholdersalikeare

highlydependentontheUnitedNationsbodiesandsurgeteamcapacitytoundertakethistask. In

addition, there is a significant need to avoid overlaps in data collection tools, information and

resources deployed to the community. The focus has been only on data collection by various

organisations all the while the lack of monitoring, reporting and sharing of resources is rarely

discussed.

Communicationandinformationmanagement

Mostoftheparticipantsinterviewedconsidercommunicationasakeychallengeandoftennoteasy

to access information abouthumanitarianneeds, areasof interventions and thepositionof other

stakeholdersintermsofwhoisdoingwhatandwhere,andhowtheycancollaborate.Thereseemsto

be very limited discussion and understanding in the preparedness phase before a disaster strikes

about contingency planning and the pre-positioning of stakeholders and resources available. The

majorityofparticipantsfromgovernmentandnon-governmentorganisationareinfavourofhaving

regular interaction and discussions prior to disasters that would help to effectively mobilize

humanitarianassistance.However,thisischallengedbythefollowing;


39

Ø The cluster representative from the relevant government department have other

regular roles while they are also responsible for disaster management during

emergencies. In thiscase, thework load isdoubledwith limitedsupportandhuman

resources

Ø INGOsandotherlocalNGOscontributetothehumanitarianresponseaspartoftheir

developmentagendaand theydon’thave individualswhoare solely responsible for

humanitarianwork

Ø Noexpertiseandlackofin-depthknowledgeofthehumanitariansector

WeneedstaffmemberswhocandocumentchallengesandupdateSOPsandtoolsinordertotimelyconducttheneedsassessmentandinformstakeholdersoftheneedsandpriorities.Therearebetterwaystoidentifyvulnerabilityandneedsthroughacommunitybasedstructurethatcaneasilyreporttheinformationtothegovernmentanddecisionmakers.

NDMOOfficialinPacific.

Logistics,ShelterandWASH

There have been significant logistical and preparedness challenges in terms of supplies, pre-

positioning of resources, identifying supply chain and lack of contingency planning due to limited

humanresourcesinthesector.Thishasbeenfurtherexacerbatedbythegeographicalchallengesof

thearchipelagoofVanuatu,SolomonIslandsandFijithatmakeitdifficulttodelivertimelyassistance

to the community. Stakeholders further highlighted warehousing facilities in Vanuatu as a key

challenge.Keyinformantshighlightedunderstandinganddevelopmentstandardsforhousing,basic

healthandsanitationknowledgeandskillsthatareexpectedduringhumanitarianresponsefromthe

communityisneeded.Alignedwiththesechallenges,interviewsandsurveysidentifiedthefollowing

skillsdemandsinthebelowsectorialclusters:

Logistics

Ø IdentifyingresourcesandsupplychaininthePacificcontext

Ø Warehouseandinventorymanagement

Ø Assetsecurityandmanagement

Ø Financeandbudgetingindisasters

Ø Identifyingpotentialrisks

Ø Securityandriskawarenessandmanagement.


40

ShelterandWASH

Ø EvacuationCentreManagement

Ø Basicengineeringandmeasurementinshelter

Ø Engagingvulnerableandlocatingsafeandsecureshelter

Ø Basichealthandsanitation

Demandfortrainingmodality:

The survey shows that practical based capacity development modality is highly favoured by

participants,whileshort-termtrainingcoursesandtheory-basedlearninganddevelopmentmodality

markedthelowestratedbyparticipants.Supportedbykeyinformants,itrevealsparticipantsvalue

worked-based academic courses that provide formal academic qualifications. A survey participant

indicated

Ibelieveaccreditedqualificationisveryimportantformyorganisation,mostofusworkingherehavebeenthroughmanyshorttrainingcoursesandhaveexperiencedalotindisastermanagement.Hence,itisveryimportantthatourteamheregettheacademicqualificationnow.

GovernmentOfficial

Whilethereispotentialdemandforaccreditedqualification,therearestrongdemandsforpratice-

basedprofessionallearninginthehumanitarianspheres.

Weneedatrainingprogrammethatneedstobealignedtothegovernmentandhumanitarianstakeholders’policies,plansandinterventions.Theprogrammewouldonlybehelpfulifit’sgroundedatthecentreofstakeholderinterventionsthatwillenablestakeholderstoreceivework-based,practicallearninganddevelopmentprogramme.

NGOstaffmember

Ultimately,thismeansawholenewapproachisneeded,movingawayfromshort-termcourses–the

most common training formemployedby thehumanitarian sector – to long-term courses geared

towards practical learning, delivered by an accredited institution. However, this means not just

providingacademicdegreesbutalsomodernandinnovativelearningapproachesthataregrounded

inboththeoryandpractice,promotinglearningoutcomesthataredrivenbyneedsanddemandsfrom

withintheparticipantsandsectoritself.


41

Figure10:Demandsfortrainingsandcapacitydevelopmentmodality

Would a certificate/diploma in humanitarian assistance/disastermanagement enhance disastermanagementresponseaftergraduation?

Figure11:Demandsforacertificate/diplomainhumanitarianassistanceanddisastermanagement


42

Alignedtothetrainingmodality,morethan85%ofsurveyparticipantsstronglyagreethatadiploma

orcertificatewouldenhancehumanitarianresponseaftergraduationwhile10%agreeandonly3.57%

disagree with this notion. This is not surprising as there are very limited long-term learning and

developmentprogrammeinthesectorandtoalargerextentlearninginterventionsareadhoc,short-

termandfragmented.


43

2.90.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

2.90.0 0.0 0.0

5.92.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9

5.9

0.0 0.02.9

0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.02.9

8.8 8.85.9

8.8

2.9 2.9

9.1

2.95.9 5.9 5.9 5.9

2.90.0

5.9

0.02.9

8.8

0.0 0.0 0.02.9

8.85.9 5.9

8.8 8.8

2.9 2.9

8.8 8.85.9 6.1 5.9 5.9

2.90.0 0.0

11.8 11.8 11.8

20.6

14.711.8

14.7

9.1

17.6

2.9

11.8 11.814.714.7

8.8

14.7

8.8

17.6

23.5

14.712.1

20.617.6

20.617.6

14.7

50.0

58.8

50.0

58.8

44.141.2

58.860.6

50.0

58.8

47.1

55.952.9

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

Initialdamageandneedsassessment

EmergencyevacuationandEvacuationcentremanagement

Hazard-specifictrainings Communicationandearlywarning

Projectmanagement Financemanagement SafetyandSecuritymanagement

Ratethefollowingtopicsonascaleof1(notatallneededorrelevant)to10(extremelyneededandrelevantatworkororganisation)

Series1 Series2 Series3 Series4 Series5 Series6 Series7 Series8 Series9 Series10

Figure12:SkillsdemandsforhumanitarianmanagersinthePacific


44

Alignedwithfocusgroupdiscussions,onlinesurveysandkeyinformantinterviews,thefollowingareas

have been revealed as key priorities for disaster management stakeholders to enhance their

functionalcapacity.

Category Themes

Leadership

• Engagingstakeholders

• Organisationclosed/openenvironment

• Understanddriversandmotivesofstakeholders

Foundation of humanitarian

principles

• Keyhumanitarianconceptandtheories

• Humanitarianvaluesandprinciples

• Keystakeholders,INGOs,UNanddonors

• Advocacy about the Pacific Humanitarian Team (clusters

coordinationmechanism)

• IntroductiontotheUNclustersystem

Communication

• Clarity in roles and responsibilities of NDMO and Pacific PHT

(clusters),localandinternationalNGOs

• Promote cluster mechanism to all government and non-

governmentstakeholders

• Strengthen links between NDMOs, government (lineministry)

anddistrictandprovincialdepartments

• Definecommunicationchannelforstakeholders

• Designcollaborativedatacollectiontoolsforneedsassessment

• Build reporting/proposal writing and analysis capacity within

governmentandlocalorganisations

• SkillsinInitialDamageneedsassessment

• Communicatingearlywarningsystems

Coordination

• Understanding of the existing country arrangements (capacity

andgovernmentcoordinationmechanisms)

• Skills in programme management and understanding key

concepts(designingprojects,engagingcommunity,participation

ofstakeholdersandmonitoringandevaluation)

• Understanding of SOPs and guidelines including disaster

managementrespectivelegislation,planandarrangementssuch

asentrypoints,deployments,resourcemobilization


45

• Recognizeandappreciatethestrengthsandcapacityofsector-

wide stakeholders, faith-based groups, private sector,military

andcommunity-basedgroups

• Recognizeinclusiveapproaches

• Sameissuesarebeingdiscussedindifferentplatforms.Howdo

wesynchronizeeffortsandensurefollowupactions?

• Coordinated needs assessment for delivering improved inter-

agency response to minimize duplication, avoid assessment

fatigueandmakebetteruseofavailableinformation.

• Accountabilitytoensureactivitiesmeettheneedsofthecountry

Informationmanagement

• Adoptionoftechnologytoenhanceassessmentandinformation

sharing (three applications have been developed for needs

assessmentandtrialledintheCycloneWinstonresponse)

• Standardization of assessment and information management

tools

• Establishaclearandcoherentsystemforinformationflowfrom

communitydowntotheassessmentandanalysisteam

• Communicatingrisksandinformationsharing

Preparedness

• Strengthened lineministries forpreparednessand response in

termsofunderstandingtheresponsestructureandmechanism

• Support the revision and update of national disaster

managementplansviadevelopinglocalstaffcapacity

• Skillsincontingencyplanning

• Logistics(identifysupplychain)

ProgrammeManagement

• Developing critical programme design, management and

monitoringandevaluationcapacity

• Mobilizationofresources,prioritizationofneedsandengaging

stakeholders

• Implementationanddealingwithchallenges

DisasterManagement

• Understanding emergency principles, SOPs, disaster

managementlegislationandcountryplans

• EvacuationCentreManagement

• Riskcommunication

• Disastermanagementstructureandmechanism


46

Generalanalysisandreflectiononcapacity

Situation Gaps Opportunity

Fragmented institutional

arrangements such as separate

climate change, disaster

managementorganisations,various

disaster response structures (PHT,

Government structures, regional

networks) their units and

subcommittees thathelpsexpands

theirscopebutmoreimportantlyit

restricts communication and

coordination amongst various

organisationsandstakeholders

Various response structures including

system, management committees, units,

operationalofficesandotherentitieshave

been established but weak connections

between the organizations that results in

limited communication and coordination.

Forexample,theparallelgovernmentand

PHTstructurefordisasterresponseinthe

Pacific.

Strengthen institutional arrangements

to establish strategic direction and

improve coordination among

stakeholders. There is a potential

opportunity for regular change

management that would help reflect

thenatureofdisastersandrealitieson

the ground to feed into systems,

policiesandplans.

Disaster response system in the

Pacific relies on individuals with

limitedresources.Lowinstitutional

capacity of PICs and disaster

response organisations therefore

led to high levels of vulnerability

(Hay,2014;TheGovernmentofFiji,

2013)

Lack of sufficient staff both in terms of

qualityandquantitytoimplementclimate

change and disaster risk management

policies and programmes. Staff need

technicalandprojectmanagementskillsat

various level from policy development,

budgeting, implementation, and

monitoringandevaluating.

Gapanalysisofskillsandknowledgeat

Climate Change Division, National

Disaster Management Office,

Department of Energy and

MeteorologicalServices

Fiji NDMO and the climate agency

cannotaccesstheglobalfundingfor

climate change due to lack of

accreditation to NIE. Partners

organisationscannotmakebestuse

of the Fiji PFM system due to

structure and complexity in the

system(UNDP,2014)

Limitedfundingandresources inorderto

finance DRR and climate change

interventions.Unlikemanycountriesinthe

region, Fiji’s reliance on donor funding is

lowwithonly0.7%of its revenuecoming

fromcashgrants.Mostofcapitalspending

is funded throughdomestic loans (UNDP,

2014).

A reform in the Fiji PFM system will

enableMinistryofFinanceandNDMO

toacquireaccreditation toNIE (global

environmentfund)thatwillhelpaccess

fundingandattractgreateruseof the

national systems by development

partners.

Plansandpoliciesarenotbudgeted

inVanuatuandSolomonIslandthat

leads to limited resources, poor

resource allocation and

prioritizations.

The national, sectoral, corporate, budget

plans and policies within ministries and

organizations do not consistently include

climate change and disaster risk

management as cross-cutting areas,

resulting in different levels of

prioritization.

Opportunity for improvement in

financial and budgeting systems;

integrating Climate Change and

Disaster Risk Management into

nationalplansandpolicies.

Many existing partnerships and

organizational arrangements are

Lack of a cohesive mechanism/ platform

for relevantorganisationssuchasclimate

Establishmentofasharedplatformby

converging relevant organisations and

committees that would help


47

project driven with limited

institutionalarrangements.

change directorate, NDMO, meteorology

toworktogether

coordination and harmonization of

interventions.

Short-term, fragmented trainings

courses with limited collaboration

and coordination conducted by

variousstakeholders.

Lack of a comprehensive platform or

strategy to design and manage capacity

buildingprogrammes.

A professional training programme

designedbasedon needs assessment,

including an identifiable career path

with sequential learning stages and

programmes. Consolidating and

strengthening

DisasterRiskManagementtrainingand

alltrainingtobealignedtothedisaster

responsestrategy.

Itrevealsthatsomeofthesegapsareproceduralandmethodologicalsuchasincorporatingcapacity

needsassessmentintothedesignofcapacitydevelopmentinterventions,andmovingfromshort-term

courses to long-term capacity development courses with a focus on practical exercises and

simulations. These gaps are partially associated with institutional and structural barriers, such as

fragmented response coordination architecture and poor links between capital and provincial

structures.

Thesegapsincapacitybuildingconcernboththeoverallstrategiccapacitybuildingdesignaswellas

theoptionsanddurationofthecoursesonofferbyvariousprivateandpublicorganisations.Capacity

buildingservicesarenotdiverseorpreparedenoughtoestablishsufficienttechnicalandprofessional

skillsandexpertiseindisastermanagementsector.Thisresultsinlimitedaccesstoreachtargetedstaff

membersinthePacific.Therearethreemaingapsinthecapacitydevelopmentacrosstheregion;

Ø The size, modality and depth of the course: short-term courses do not establish

sufficientskillsandexpertiseindisastermanagement.Manyshort-termcoursesfocus

ontheoriesandthereislimitedtimetoconductsimulationandexercises.

Ø Mismatchofcapacitydevelopmentprogrammesandfunctionalneedsandpriority.For

example, there is a significant need for communication and coordination trainings,

values, structures and principles of humanitarian organisations and the available

disastermanagementsupportmechanism.

Ø Preventrepetitionanddiversifycoursesthatwouldhelpmanagementskills


48

Chapterfour–

Institutionalarrangements

andstructuresAspartofthedisastermanagementmechanism,Fiji,SolomonIslandsandVanuatuallhaveadisaster

managementstructurethatarticulatesmandatesforallactors;amechanismfordisastermanagement

thatappointauthoritiesatdistrict,provincialandnational level,and;clearoperationalprocedures

designedinthewakeofaneffectivedisasterresponsemanagement.ThegovernmentsofFiji,Vanuatu

andSolomonIslandshaveframedtheNationalDisasterManagementPlan,endorsedbytheirrelevant

NaturalDisasterManagementActs,includinghazardspecificresponseproceduresandplanssuchas

the Cyclone and Flood Response Plans in Fiji.The Acts, Plans and various programmes are being

implementedtopreventormitigatetheeffectsofhazardsandriskevents,toprepareforandrespond

todisasters,andtobuildresilienceandreduceimpact.

Figure13:Disastermanagementinstitutionalstructure


49

However, staff members have limited understanding about these structures and mechanisms

includingthedisastermanagementlegislationthatisinplaceintheircountryandplansdevelopedby

stategovernmentsupportedbyinternationalactors.

Thingsareprettygood,butwhendisasterstrikes,nobodyfollowsthedisastermanagementactandtheagreedsystemandprocesses.TheprimeministerofficebypassedNDMOastheydeclaredthatanyNGOswhowouldliketotakepartintheresponse,theyshouldgothroughtheprimeministeroffice.Inthiscase,theNDMOhadlimitedroleandresponsibilitygivenbytheactwhereastheprimeministerofficewasprimarycoordinator.Thisinturnledthecentralgovernmenttobypasstheprovincialgovernment.Thereislackoftrustandunderstandingofthebasichumanitarianstructure,roleandresponsibilityofhumanitarianactors.

INGOStaffmember.

In Fiji, the National Disaster Management Office is a permanent body under the Department of

RegionalDevelopment.Itfunctionsasthecentralagencytocoordinatetheimplementationofpolicies

including disastermitigation andpreparedness.During emergencies, theNDMO sets upwithin its

office the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to coordinate the activities of disaster

monitoring, warning and immediate post-disaster response including emergency relief work (Fiji

Government,1999;FijiGovernment,2013).

The disastermanagement plans of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are a comprehensive plans

centredlargelyonemergencymanagement.Theseplansoutlinesrolesandresponsibilities,mitigation

andpreparednessstrategies,publicawareness,coordinationlayers,emergencyoperations,reliefand

rehabilitation strategies from national to divisional level and right down to district and local

communities(FijiGovernment,2013;GovernmentofVanuatu,2004;SIGovernment,2009).However,

organisationsandstaffmemberswhoaremanagingclusterslackunderstandingoftheseplan,policies

and SOPs. Therefore, skills and awareness needs to be built regarding the response mechanism,

coordinationstructureandarrangementsinplacefordisastermanagement.

AmemberofclusterinVanuatuindicated,

Bothleadersandmanagementstaffwhoarechairingandmanagingtheclustersmustgothroughbasictrainingstounderstandtheclustermechanism,structure,disasterplanandtheirresponsibilitythatwillhelptoquicklyguidestakeholdersanddiscusschallengesandsolutionspromptly.

TheNDMPofFijiplacesastrongemphasisonemergencymanagementwhilereferencesaremade

withintheplantoothergovernmentdepartmentstosupportthePlaninriskmanagement,suchas

tsunamisandearthquakeswiththeMineralResourcesDepartment,coastalriverinefloodingwiththe


50

IrrigationDepartmentandfloodcontrolandwatershedmanagementprogrammewiththeMinistryof

Agriculture,ForestandFisheriesDepartment.TheNationalDisasterManagementOffice(NDMO)in

all three countries has primary responsibility formanaging, coordinating and implementation the

activities before, during and after emergency and disaster situations. The Chair of the National

DisasterManagementCouncil(NDMC)andtheNationalDisasterControllertaketheirappointmentby

virtueoftheNaturalDisasterManagementAct1990inFiji(Adriaens,2012).

TheNationalDisasterManagementstructureisarrangedfromcapitaltodivision/provincial,district

andcommunitylevel.Thehighleveldecisionmakingtasks,suchasdeclarationandcontrolofdisaster,

is reserved centrally at thenational levelwhereas operational andmanagement of preparedness,

responseinterventionsforeachofthewarningstages,evacuationcentres,response,reliefandearly

recovery activities are systematically decentralised to divisional and district levels. The national

disaster management procedure has sub-committees that delegate the technical and logistic

resourcesavailablenationally,bringingtheminasteampartnersandplayersinallstagesofdisaster

preparedness,warning,responseandrecovery(NDMO,n.d.;White,2015).

ThelegislationaroundtheNaturalDisasterManagementActandplaniscurrentlybeingreviewedby

externalconsultantsinthecontextofVanuatuandisdueforreviewinFijiandtheSolomonIslandsby

theendof2016.Thereviewshavebeenpromptedbyanumberof factors including the following

recommendations.

Theprincipal recommendationsof the current review inVanuatuwere to includeand to instigate

qualitativeimprovementsinlegislation,regulations,organisation,operatingprocedures,trainingand

readiness. The reviews stressed that clarity in the role and responsibility of various coordination

mechanism,suchastheVanuatuHumanitarianTeam(VHT)foraneffectiveemergencymanagement

is essential. The review also aimed to put in place a system in dealing with communication and

coordination foreffectivepreparedness, responseandrecovery.The focusoncommunitycapacity

building aimed to reduce dependency and to achieve community resilience and sustainable

development.

TheNationalDisasterManagementOffice

TheNationalDisasterManagementOffice (NDMO)wasestablishedas the coordinating centre for

disasters in Fiji, Solomon Island and Vanuatu. The NDMO operates under the National Disaster

Management Act and coordinates the disastermanagement through sectorialministries, clusters,

INGOsandlocalorganisationsfromnationalleveldowntoprovincialandlocalcommunity.TheNDMO


51

manages disaster activities at these levels through disaster preparedness programmes, disaster

mitigation programmes, disaster response programmes in times of natural disasters and disaster

rehabilitation programmes to support the restoration of infrastructure and livelihoods after the

adverseeffectofadisasterhazard(FijiGovernment,1999,2013).

The tools that assist NDMO to enhance its disaster management programmes are the National

DisasterManagementActandtheNationalDisasterManagementPlan.Thesetwolegalinstruments

guide the authorities to establishmanagement capacities, capable for implementationof national

managementprogrammes.TheNDMOtrainingdepartmentneedstofurtherdevelopandestablish

linksandpartnershipwithNGOsanddonorssotheycancontinuouslybeinformedoftheemerging

needsasdisasterand jobsalter from time to time. Inaddition, governmentdepartmentsneed to

maintain regular communication, and suggest improvements in conducting and designing training

coursescansupportthisgoal.Toooften,governmentsandNGOsattempttobuildandimproveon

capacityoftheirstaffwhenadisasterhitsasareactivemeasure.

ThediagrambelowrepresentsthegeneralmanagementstructureatthecountrylevelintheSolomon

Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu that outline key organisations and management positions that provide

assistance and support to the community. The two parallel structures, government and cluster,

creates both opportunities and challenges for stakeholders to effectively coordinate disaster

management initiatives. The operational tools of each levelmainly focused on the emergency at

central,districtandcommunitylevel(FijiGovernment,2013;NDMO,n.d.).


52

Therearekeygapsinthestructurethatincludeslackofclarityinroleandresponsibilityandlackof

understandingofthebroaderhumanitariancontextbyNDMOstaffatnationallevelthatarefurther

exacerbated by weak links between national level and provincial affairs (NDMO, clusters and

communities). Inaddition,skills,capacityandunderstandingaroundthenational legal frameworks

and plans are not effectively communicated down the line to the community level. Furthermore,

humanitarianresponsesthatareledbyinternationalactorswithlimitedcontributionfromlocalNGOs

result in additional challenges as these international surge teams have limited contextual

understanding.

Ø Fromacapacitydevelopmentprospective,therearefivemajorgapswithinthecurrent

polices,plansandstructures;

Ø Policies, plans and frameworks have been developed by external consultants with

limitedengagementandinputfromlocalstaffmembersthatinturnleadstoinadequate


53

understanding of Disaster Management Acts, structures and plans developed by

consultants.

Ø Capacity has not been institutionalized within most government departments.

Governmentsneedregularsupportfromshort-termconsultantstodevelopandreview

planandpoliciesonaregularbasis.Consultantsareexpectedtodotheworkrather

thanbuildcapacityandinstitutionalizethetoolsinthegovernmentsystem.

Ø Structuresandplanshavebeendevelopedbutnotfollowedbystakeholdersparticularly

the government due to limited understanding or due to internal conflicts or

disharmony.

Ø A government-wide dysfunctional system in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. A staff

memberindicated,“Mystaffmembershaven’tbeenpaidforthelastsixmonthsand

nowhowcanIexpectthemtoattendallthesemeetings”.

Ø Followingtheresponsestructure,processesandprocedurestakes longerthatdelays

thehumanitarianresponse.

Althoughhumanitarianagenciesandgovernmentdepartmentsoften seek toestablishpartnership

andcoherentpolicywithlocalcommunity-basedinstitutions,theprivatesectorandcommunity-based

organisations were not well engaged in disaster response considering the perception of local

organisations that reveals the government mechanism takes too long to delivery humanitarian

assistancetothelocalcommunity.

Localprivatesectorandfaith-basedorganisationswerenotwellengagedintheresponse.Wesawfewprivatesectorandfaith-basedgroups(churches)whoweredistributingtheirreliefitemsoutofthegovernmentresponsemechanism.Privatesectorandchurchesbelievethegovernmentresponsemechanismtakestoolongtodelivertheirhumanitarianassistancetothecommunity.

LocalNGOstaffmember

Inaddition,disastermanagementstructuresatthedistrictandprovinciallevelarenotwelldefinedin

theNationalDisasterPlan.Thishasbeenfurtherchallengedbythe inadequateresourcesandstaff

identifiedatdistrictandprovinciallevelwhoarerequiredtoassisttheemergencyoperationcentre,

surge team, INGOs, and other organisations with operations, logistics, engaging communities,

assessmentandreliefresponse(FijiGovernment,2013;NDMO,n.d.).

Disaster Service Liaison Officers (DSLOs) are appointed by all relevant organisations to provide

effective operations and coordination during emergencies, and to liaise on preparedness and

responseactivities.TheFijiCouncilofSocialServices(FCOSS)isthekeyauthorityforNGOsandcivil


54

society.Localandinternationalorganisationsarenotfullyactiveinthecountry,astheydonothave

permanentrepresentationinFiji.

DisastermanagementcoordinationmechanismsinthePacific

TheClusterscoordinationapproach:

ThePacificHumanitarianTeam (PHT) is a partnership of all organizations thathave amandate to

respondtonaturaldisastersinthePacificIslandCountries,andthatagreetocoordinateinternational

humanitarian action according to a cluster or sector approach. Itwas established in July 2008 by

humanitarianstakeholdersattheRegionalInter-AgencyContingencyPlanningWorkshopinthePacific

todelivertimely,effectiveandcoordinatedinternationalresponsetonaturaldisastersin14Pacific

Island Countries (PICs) (OCHA, 2012). Clusters are the organizational groupings of operational

agencies,bothUNandnon-UN,ineachofthemainsectorsofhumanitarianaction.Clustersoperate

at the global and country levels to support national Governments in managing international

assistance. The PHT provides a regional platform for humanitarian partners to share information,

consolidatebestpracticeguidelines,mapcapacitiesandgapsandstrengthenthecollectivecapacity

ofhumanitarianactionintheregion.

Theresearchrevealsthatsomeoftheclustersaredoingverywell(WASH)whileothersarenotdoing

verywell(Shelter).ThisiscausedbyseveralfactorsincludingthatsomeoftheUNorganisationshave

regularprogrammesandinteractionwithlocalgovernment,engagedintheoverallsystemaheadof

disasters, strong relationships with government officials, seconded staff members to sectorial

ministries andmany government positions are funded by UN programmes thatmake it easier to

coordinateduringadisaster.WhilefortheSheltercluster, it isdifficultconsideringtheadhocand

interim involvementof the leadclustersand involvement fromdifferentgovernmentdepartments

given theirmandate, internal coordination and understanding of staffmembers about issues and

challenges.

Oneofthechallengesisthatwearesosectorialandwealwaysneedtoworkthroughoursectorregardlessoffocusingonkeypriorities...weknewthattherewasShelterneedsinthecommunitywherewewereworkingbutsincethatwasnotourmandatewewerenotcontributing.

SurgeteammemberduringCycloneWinston

Atthecountrylevel,clustersarewellintegratedbytheFijiandVanuatugovernmentsandministries,

andserveasafirstpointofcallforthesegovernments.Totheextentpossible,clustersinVanuatuand


55

Fijimirrornationalresponsestructuresanduseterminologythatarecloseoridenticaltothenational

sectors, and are co-chaired by Government representatives. However, the Solomon Islands is

strugglingtointegratetheclusterapproachtotheirlocalcontextconsideringtheinsufficienthuman

resource and capacities of international agencies already on the ground. A number of NGOs and

governmentrepresentativeintheSolomonIslandsindicatedthatthereisalackofhumanresources

who canwork across these different clusters.Often, stakeholders do not attend clustermeetings

resultinginlimitedinteraction,communicationandcoordinationinthesector.

Arangeofregionalassistanceisavailabletodisaster-affectedgovernmentsinthePacific.However,

many are activated concurrently, which can lead to confusion about roles and responsibilities.

Communication between partners is therefore important in both the preparedness and response

phases.Thisisexacerbatedbythearrivalofmanysurgestaff,whichputsoverwhelmingpressureon

routine coordination arrangements within the country. Coordination is therefore the biggest

challengeacrossthePacific.ThePHTplayedakeyroleinlinkinghumanitarianpartners,howeverthe

PHTfounditdifficulttoworkwithinnationalcoordinationstructuresandviceversa.

Key informant interviews supported theneed forPHTagencies tounderstandandaccept country

arrangementspriortoentry,includingbeingwellversedintherelevantcountry’slaws,policiesand

culture. The PHT (2016) regional meeting highlighted the arrangements, such as entry points,

deploymentsandresourcemobilizationandcoordinationbetweenministriesandPHTagenciesneeds

tobestrengthened(PHT,2014).Somekeypracticalareashavebeenhighlightedasfollowing;

Ø Coordinationneedstobeimprovedatthelocalandnationallevel.Regionalactivities

donotalwaysmatchnationalplans

Ø Cleardefinitionoftherolesofeachagencyatregionalandnationallevel

Ø Voluntaryandinformalarrangementsmaynotbeeffective,thereforeMemorandumof

Understandings(MoUs)maybeneeded

Ø Coordinationisafulltimejobandactivity.Thereneedstobeonepositionallocatedfor

coordination in each agency. Agencies working under cluster arrangements should

develop their own SOPs including alternative co- leads. The PHT should thinkmore

creatively about complementary resources to potentially share the functions of

clusters.

Ø Clustersneedtobealignedwithnationalministrystructuresandfunctions

Ø Promote awareness and build capacity around national cluster or working group

arrangements


56

Ø IncreasedinvolvementandalignmentwithNDMOsandprivatesectororganizationsfor

fundingandadditionalcapacity.

Inaddition,therearevariousotherregionalandinternationalcoordinationmechanismforthePacific

that includes the ACFID Humanitarian Reference Group (HRG), Pacific Disaster RiskManagement

PartnershipNetwork,theUNDACassessmentcoordinationgroup,thePacific IslandsAssociationof

Non-Government Organisations (PIANGO) and the FRANZ Agreement that have been briefly

highlightedinthischapter.

TheACFIDHumanitarianReferenceGroup(HRG)

TheHRGcapacitymatrixisanotherregionalcoordinationmechanismidentifiedbytheassessment.

ThecapacitymatrixwasdevelopedduringtheresponsetothedisastersinSeptemberandOctober

2009asameanstoshare informationaboutagencyresourceswithoutoverwhelmingagencystaff

withinformation.Thematrixcapturedthegeographicandsectoralfocusofagencyeffortsaswellas

a brief outline of their staffing and resources deployments. However,many respondents felt the

matrixwastoolabourintensivetomaintainandupdate,andthatfurtherworkwasneededtoensure

only relevant informationwas included.During the response to theHaiti earthquake in 2010, the

capacitymatrixwasredesignedtoformpartofconsolidatedsituationreportsproducedbyACFIDusing

inputfromtheHRG.Theseconsolidatedsituationreportswerethendistributedtotheagenciesand

AusAID.Respondentsnotedthattheconsolidatedsituationreportswereapositiveinitiative,allowing

agenciestoshareinformationaboutissuessuchassecurity,logisticsandadvocacy(Lipner&Henley,

2010).

TheUNDACCoordination

TheUnitedNationsDisasterAssessmentandCoordination(UNDAC),createdin1993,ispartofthe

internationalemergencyresponsesystemforsudden-onsetemergencies. It isdesignedtohelpthe

UnitedNationsandgovernmentsofdisaster-affectedcountriesduringthefirstphaseofasudden-

onsetemergency.UNDACalsoassistsinthecoordinationofincominginternationalreliefatnational

leveland/orat the siteof theemergency.UNDAC teamscandeployat shortnotice (12-48hours)

anywhere in the world. They are provided free of charge to the disaster-affected country, and

deployedupontherequestoftheUnitedNationsResidentorHumanitarianCoordinatorand/orthe

government of the affected country. Assessment, coordination and informationmanagement are

UNDAC'scoremandatesinanemergencyresponsemission.Specifically,inresponsetoearthquakes,


57

UNDAC teams set up and manage the On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) to help

coordinateinternationalUrbanSearchandRescue(USAR)teamsrespondingtothedisaster-essential

ifUSARassistance is to functioneffectively.Thisconceptwasstronglyendorsed inUnitedNations

GeneralAssembly resolution57/150of16December2002, titled“Strengthening theeffectiveness

andcoordinationofinternationalurbansearchandrescueassistance”(UNDAC,2015).

TheFRANZAgreement

TheFRANZAgreementisalong-standing,non-bindingagreementbetweenFrance,AustraliaandNew

Zealand.Itcommitsitssignatoriestoexchangeinformationtoensurethebestuseofassetsandother

resourcesforreliefoperationsaftercyclonesandothernaturaldisastersinthePacific.ThePHTcluster

mechanism(describedbelow)includesFRANZincoordinationmeasuresduringdisasters,aswellas

JapanandtheUnitedStates.Adhocagreementswithotherdonorcountriesofferingassistancehave

alsobeenformedaroundtheFRANZAgreement(White,2015)

PacificDisasterRiskManagementPartnershipNetwork:

PacificDisasterRiskManagementPartnershipNetwork,developedin2006,wasdesignedtoprovide

acollaborativeandcooperativemechanismtosupportdisasterriskmanagementcapacitybuildingin

theregionandassistPacificIslandCountriesandTerritoriesadaptandimplementthePacificDisaster

RiskReductionandDisasterManagementFrameworkforAction2005–2015:BuildingtheResilience

ofNationsandCommunitiestoDisasters(PacificDRR&DMFrameworkforAction)(SPC,2010).

ThePacificIslandsAssociationofNon-GovernmentOrganisations

(PIANGO)

ThePacificIslandsAssociationofNon-GovernmentalOrganisations(PIANGO)isaregionalnetworkof

NGOfocalpointsorcoordinatingbodiesknownasNationalLiaisonUnits(NLUs)basedin21Pacific

Island countries and territories. PIANGO’s primary role is to be a catalyst for collective action, to

facilitateandsupportcoalitionsandalliancesonissuesofcommonconcern,andtostrengthenthe

influenceandimpactofNGOeffortsintheregion.However,PIANGOhasverylimitedinfluenceand

reachwithinINGOsandlocalorganisationsinthecommunity(PIANGO,n.d.).


58

Chapterfive–

Recommendationsand

conclusionsToeffectivelycommunicateandcoordinatedisasterresponseandhumanitarianinterventions,there

isafundamentalneedtoaddresscapacityconstraintsinregardsto

(i) streamliningcapacityneedsassessmentintermsofprocesses,structures,andreporting;

(ii) institutionalizetrainingandcapacitydevelopmentinterventionsandestablishacoherent

capacitydevelopmentcoordinationmechanism;

(iii) clarify mandates, roles and responsibilities of organisations at different levels and

establishalongtermcapacitydevelopmentprogrammefocusingoncapacityneedsand

prioritieshighlightedinthisreport.

Institutionalization and streamlining of response management structure (cluster and government

structure) includingother forums suchasVHTandPHTanddifferent forum for coordinating local

organisationsrequirescoherenceinordertomovefromadhocandfragmentedstructuretoamore

institutionalapproachandmechanism.Clarityinroleandresponsibilitiesoforganisationsatdifferent

levelsisahighpriority,suchastheroleofVHT,HeadofAgencies,andinter-clusterforums.Thelocal

NGOs coordinating body seems to bemarginalized and overtaken by international organisations.

Thereisaneedtorevisittheexistingstructureandempowerlocalorganisationstotaketheleadto

providecoordinationandsupportassistancewherenecessary.Localorganisationsrequirecapacity

strengtheningsupportinplanningandmanagingprojects,designingproposals,budgeting,monitoring

andevaluationinordertoensuretheirinstitutionalmandatesandenablethemtoparticipateinthe

humanitarianresponsesector.

ThePacificnations’NDMOs, inparticular their regionalorprovincial offices, areunderstaffedand

underresourced.Theprovincialanddistrictstructuresareyettobeactivatedinmostofthedistricts

andprovincesoftheSolomonIslandsandVanuatu.


59

Trainingsandcapacityneedsareextensive,diverseandrangingfromaseriesof topics focusedon

mitigation,preparedness,responsemechanism,humanitarianstructureandprogrammeoperational

management,andtomeettheseneeds,wouldhelpestablishawell-functioningandhighlycapable

disastermanagementteamwithgovernmentdepartmentsandhumanitarianorganisations.Forsuch

acomplexanddiversechallenge,weneedacooperativestakeholderpartnershipapproachtoensure

trainingandcapacitybuildinginterventionsarecoordinated,designedandintegratedinawaywhere

local stakeholders can contribute their inputs and fully participate at all levels including planning,

developmentandimplementationphases.

During the design and delivery of any training, the capacity building programme has to bear the

followingtwomainfactors:

Ø Trainingsandcapacitydevelopmentneedstobeprovidedonaregularbasisfordisaster

managementstaffmemberswhoareatthefrontofdisasterreliefandhumanitarian

assistance. Thiswill help to keep stakeholders’ employeesupdatedonnewpolicies,

approachesandmanagementmechanisms.

Ø A long-term sustainable training and capacity building programme that strategically

focuses on the challenges, function areas, skills gaps, and sector priorities. This

programme can take from medium to long term in order to build a management

capacitywithinthesector.

Thereareaseriesofextensiveshort-termcoursesonoffercoveringvariousmanagement,technical

andoperationalareastoaddressshort-termneedsandprovideinitialinductiontonew-starterswithin

NGOsorthegovernmentstructure,whilethelong-termschemeneedsfurtherinvestmenttoestablish

academic rigor, mechanism, accreditation and reputation. Such a long-term regional capacity

developmentprogrammeinmanagingdisasterandhumanitarianassistancemustleadtoanofficial

academic qualification at graduate diploma or certificate level. The short-term courses can be

thoroughlyimprovedviacoordinationandcollaborationoftrainingagendasandresourcestoenhance

harmonisationandpreventduplication.

On the other hand, the long-term needs require strategic planning, partnership and a regional

collaborativeapproachamongpartnerstodevelopacoherenttrainingandcapacitybuildingstrategy

thatwouldlinkinstitutionalobjectivestoinitiativesandprogrammeactivities.Workingwithnational

governments todeterminepriority trainingneedswill help to clarifywhere theNGOs, INGOsand

donorscanassist.Countriesandgovernmentsneedtocomeforwardandbepro-activeinstatingtheir

requirements.Atthesametime,greateraccountabilityisrequiredtoensureactivitiesmeettheneeds


60

of the country and that information is shared within wider national and regional forums.

Accountability isrequiredfortrainingworkshopsbydeployingaregularmonitoringandevaluation

function.Trainingworkshopsarereferredtoascapacitybuildingactivities,howevertheiroutcomes

needtobedemonstrated.

Ø Regulartrainingisrequiredduetothehighturnoverofgovernmentstaff.Thisispartly

attributed to short deployments and the high turnover of PHT staff, as seen in the

SolomonIslandsfloodresponse.

Ø Long-termtechnicalsupportisrequiredinemergencies,asshort-termsupportisoften

insufficient.

Ø Better coordination of inter-agency preparedness activities, training and simulation

exercisestoavoidduplication.

Establishingacoherentcoordination

Coordination has beendiscussed extensively in each themeof this research project. Coordination

underpinsarangeofnon-linearcross-cuttingissuesthatneedstoestablishacollectivemomentumto

convertpromisesofsharingresources,information,designingofhumanitarianassistance,uniformity

inneedsassessmentandclarifyingroleandresponsibilitythatwouldhelpminimizemisunderstanding

andpreventduplications.

Toovercomesuchamultidisciplinaryandcrosscuttingcoordinationchallenge,stakeholdersrequirea

strategicdiscussion toput inpractice thenon-linearandmutually reinforcing responsibilityof this

issue. Humanitarian actors need to look at the overarching government disaster management

structure,competenciesandexpertisetoidentifysectoralsynergiesandcomplementarities.Thishas

beenpartlyaddressedthroughthePacificHumanitarianTeam(PHT)clusterapproachthathadbeen

activatedintimeofdisasterwithlimitedfocusonpreparedness,trainingsanddevelopment.Thus,the

PHT cluster approach reduces its coordination ability to engage the broader humanitarian

stakeholderstodealwithacoordinatedtrainingmechanismaspartofdisasterriskreduction.

Further investment is needed for effective communication, in terms of streamlining stakeholders

needsassessment,advocacy,messagesindisasterandhumanitarianresponse.Acknowledgingthat

various organisations have different mandates, there is still the potential for collective advocacy

betweenhumanitarianactorsandthePacificgovernmentstonegotiateanddesignprogrammes in

linewithgovernmentprioritiesandtoeffectivelycoordinatewithsectorwidestakeholders.Thiswill


61

help establish trust and reduces the likelihood of confusion, unrealistic expectations and

misunderstandingaboutthehumanitarianactors.

Aninnovativemechanismofbuildingcapacitythroughtraining,availabletoNGOs,academicandthe

private sector, could build a strong partnership towards learning and development that would

enhance academic credibility, accountable and enhancing efficiency that will support sharing

resourcesandcoordinationwhileminimizingcompetitionandincreaseforpotentialcomplementary

response.

Considering the multi-national approach to disaster responses involving aid organisations,

governments, NGOs, military bodies, philanthropic actors, private sector, the UN and other

organisations, there is substantial need to maximise information sharing, coordinating resource

mobilizationandallocationbothintermsofmaterialandhumanresources.Aleadorganisationneeds

toplayamoreactiveroleintrainingspertainingtocoordination.Alearninganddevelopmentinitiative

canbebettermobilised inorder tomeetstakeholders’ requirements.Astrongpartnershipamong

academic, NGOs and government can provide potential links to identify needs, design coherent

trainingprogrammesandevaluatetheimpacttoreflectlearningandcontinuousdevelopment.

Trainingpartnershipandcoordinationmechanism

Amajor challenge is the absence of a coherent partnershipmechanism to share and coordinate

learning and development programmes between NGOs, academia, private sector and the

government.Whilethereisastronginterest,trainingmechanismsneedtobestrengthenedandmove

fromseparate,disjointedandindividualtrainingprogrammesintoamorecollaborative,sequential

andcoherenttrainingprogrammewhereindividuals’trainingscanaddvaluebybuildinguponlearning

outcomes.

Theanalysed literature,key informant interviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionsareall inagreement

abouttheneedforsuchapartnershipinitiative.Therelationshipamongacademia,NGOsandprivate

institutionsiscriticaltodevelopastrategicpartnershipwhereresourcesandexpertisecanbeutilized

in an effective way. At the same time, training agencies and NGOs recognised the challenges of

individualsanddisjointedlearningprogrammesthatminimizetheimpactonparticipantsintermsof

learninganddevelopment.Thusmovingfromastandalone,adhoctrainingapproachtoastrategic

partnershipwithotherstakeholderswill,inturn,strengthenlearninganddevelopment.

Suchapartnershipwouldcomeintoaplayviaastablememorandumofunderstanding(MoU)among

all parties in order to establish, in advance of the emergency response, what learning and


62

development initiatives would be useful for disastermanagement professionals that would allow

stakeholders to define a clear scope of programme for a medium to long-term training and

developmentprogrammes.Thiswouldnotonlyassistallstakeholderstooutlineacoherentsequential

trainingprogramme,butalsoprovideaclearandaccountablescopefortheirprogrammethatwould

encourageamutualtrustamongallhumanitarianactorstodisasterpreparednessandresponse.

Moreover,anMoUwouldnotaddressthebroadercoordinationissuesamongstakeholdersintimes

ofdisaster,butitwouldhelptoensurepreparednessofprofessionalsthroughatrainingprogramme

wherelearninganddevelopmentdoesnotcontradictbutreinforceseachotherthatwouldleadtoa

professionaldisasterresponse.

Coordinatedneedsassessmentandanalysis

Assessments are fundamental to both humanitarian and disaster management planning,

preparedness, response coordination and communication of needs and priorities. Building on

experience and lessons learned from previous emergencies, a comprehensive developmental

approachisneededtoovercomemultifacetedchallengesinthePICs.

In light of the literature, focus group discussion and key informant interviews, stakeholders and

humanitarianactorsneedtoensurethefollowing;

Ø Whilethereisasubstantialfocusonstandardizationoftheassessmenttemplatesand

structure,thereisaneedtobeflexibilitywithinthecomplexnatureofemergenciesto

capturethestakeholders’requirements,needsandprioritiesofthelocalcommunities.

Inthiscontext,governments,organisationsandhumanitarianactorsneedtodevelop

analyticalandchangemanagementskillstoaccommodate,adaptandchangesystem

andprocessesonaregularbasisifdeemednecessary.

Ø Adoptionofappropriatetechnologytoenhanceassessmentandinformationsharing.

Humanitarian stakeholders have recently developed three new needs assessment

applications (RAMP, Alkow folow and Kobo Collect) thatwere tested during the TC

Winston response by various government partner organisations. Coordinated needs

assessmentsmustbestrengthenedtoensureimprovedinter-agencyresponsesandto

minimize duplication, avoid assessment fatigue and make better use of available

information.

Ø Standardization of assessment and information management tools by different

stakeholders.


63

Ø Manyhumanitarianpartnersareusingtheirownassessmenttoolsandprocesses.

Ø Information and capacity needs require effective dissemination from central to

provincialandcommunityleveltooperationalizeneedsassessmentandtocoordinate

datacollectiontoensurecomplementarityandcoherence.

Ø Better communication is neededbetween theNDMOcentral, provincial anddistrict

levelstructurestolinkassessmentsanddatacollectionsystematically

Ø Negative impactandnegativereputationforthehumanitariansector intheeventof

affected communities being subjected tomultiple needs assessments by competing

organisationsmustbeconsidered,andmanagementofcommunities’expectationsof

humanitarianassistance.

Ø Avarietyofresearch,analysisandreportwritingskillsneedstobebuiltthatwillhelpin

mobilizationoftimelyresponseandhumanitarianassistance.

Ø Needforacoherentandsystematicdatamanagementstructureandmechanismfor

reportinganddisseminating informationamongstakeholderswithinthegovernment

andNGOs

Recommendedcapacitydevelopmentpackages

HumanitarianAssistance:Thecourseshouldcoverthefundamentalsofhumanitarianconceptsand

approachescoveringanintroductiontotheUNclustersystem,humanitarianvaluesandprinciples,

theroleandresponsibilityofNGOsandinternationalorganisationsinthehumanitarianresponse.

HumanitarianProgrammeManagement:Thecourseshouldcoverthebasicofprogrammedesign,

management anddelivery of humanitarian assistance in different context. The course should also

coverriskanalysis,budgeting,monitoringandevaluationandstakeholdermanagement.

CommunicationandCoordination inDisaster: The course should cover introduction to theneeds

assessment,analysisandreportingwriting. Thecourseshouldalsocoversomebasicmanagement

practices such as memo writing, team building and various organisation communication tools

includinganintroductiontogovernmentandUNcommunicationchannel.

DisasterRiskManagement:TheDisasterRiskManagementcourseshouldcoveranintroductionto

therelevantdisastermanagementacts,disastermanagementplanandotheroperationalprocedure

including evacuation centre management. The course may also cover the disaster management

structureandroleandresponsibilityofvariousactors.


64

LeadershipinHumanitarianandDisasterManagement:ThiscourseshouldbetailoredtothePacific

contextbyfocusingonterritorialandclosedenvironment,centralizedandmilitaristicapproachand

thevalueofparticipatoryapproachesinahumanitariancontext.

Ingeneral,thekeyprioritieshighlightedbelowarealignedtothePacificCompetencyFrameworkfor

emergencymanagementinthePacificIslandsandcountriesandterritories(SPC2013).

Figure14:Humanitariananddisastermanagementpriorities


65

Thesetrainingpackageshavebeenrecommendedforindividualsinmanagementwithinhumanitarian

and disaster management organisations including local organisations, INGOs, government and

regionalorganisationsinthePacific.

Findings:

Ø It has been revealed that trainings needs could be met if all stakeholders were

strategicallyinvolvedinthedesigningofprogrammesandsharingtrainingagendas.A

single comprehensive programme structure would harmonize training interventions

andimproveoutcomesfortrainingparticipantsanddisastermanagementauthorities

consideringthesharedvisionofdisastermanagementactorsandorganisations.

Ø Training modality and delivery arrangements are not well documented. There is a

significantscopetoimprovetrainingmodalitythatcoverstrainingcurriculum,training

duration,exerciseandsimulationtoanacceptablestandard.Ashiftfromtheory-based

lecturestopracticalsimulationandexercisesarethemostfavourableformoftraining

delivery,combinedwithanacademiccredentialinthedisastermanagementsector.

Ø There seems tobea significantgapamong thevarious training coursesprovidedby

privateandpublicservicetrainingproviders.Thereisnologicalconnectionorpathways

amongdisastermanagementcourseswherethegraduatesofonetrainingwouldattend

thenext.Toalargeextend,trainingshavebeenrepetitiveandsimilartopicsandcontent

covered.

Ø WhiletheriskofcyclonesandothernaturaldisastershavebeenincreasinginthePacific,

therehasbeenariseintheoverallcapacityofgovernmentandotherstakeholdersto

effectively respond to cyclonesandotherdisasters. Thishasbeen reinforcedby the

researchthatshowsminimumfatalitiesandcausalitiesinFijiduringCycloneWinston.

ItalsodemonstratesthecapacityofDRRmechanismsthatincludesaneffectiveearly

warningsystemandpreparation.

Ø Anoverwhelmingstructureofvariousgovernmentagenciesatvarious levelssuchas

the climate change committee, the national disaster committee, their respective

operationalorganisations,unitsandrepresentativesatregional,nationalandprovincial

levelhavebeenchallengingthecapacityofactors’toshare,collaborateandeffectively

coordinaterespectivepoliciesandprogrammeactivities(Hay,2011;UNDP,2014).

Ø AsignificantopportunityforintegrationofDRRandCCAarisesfromthefactthatboth

sectorspursueariskmanagementapproach.Theultimategoalofriskmanagementis


66

to provide a sound basis for making decisions on whether risks are acceptable or

intolerable.Italsoassistsinobtainingreliableinformationonhowexistingriskscanbe

dealtwithmostappropriately(Hay,2014;UNDP,2014).

Ø A research study conducted by UNDP highlights a potential need for training and

development programmes focusing on accessing and mobilizing sources including

funding and resources for climate change and disaster riskmanagement initiatives.

There is also a need to support and strengthenmanagement, technical and project

management capacities of the disaster management system including leadership,

communication, management, human and financial resources as an important

determinantofadaptivecapacity(UNDP,2014).

Ø ArangeofreportshighlightedthatNGOs,localgovernmentsandotherorganisations

arehavingdifficultieswithrobustaccesstoinformationonclimatechangeanddisaster

managementplans,policiesandprogrammes,includingsourcesandaccessingfunding

(RedCross,2011;UNDP,2014).

Ø Establishmentofapublicfinancialmechanismthatwouldalignpoliciesandplanson

climatechangeandDRR.Thiswouldhelpinbudgetingpolices,prioritizinginterventions

andresourcesallocationthatwouldbuildtheconfidenceofinternationalcommunityto

facilitateaccesstoexternalfinance(TheWorldBank,n.d.;UNDP,2014).

Ø Establish a mechanism that would allow for organisations to identify and mobilize

financialresources,streamlinebudgetaryprocessesandtrackingandevaluationofDRR

and CCA systems that would inform future planning and how stakeholders and

governmentspendresources(UNDP,2014).

Ø Thereseemstobelackofanationaldisastermanagementtrainingstrategythatwould

reflectthegapsandchallengeswithindisasterriskmanagement.Thestrategywould

includetraininginitiativesbyalldisastermanagementstakeholdersandbeledbythe

localnationaldisastermanagementauthority.

Ø While there is a strong demand in capacity building, the Pacific region must

acknowledgecollectivelythattherewillneverbefullcapacitybuildingandtherefore

capacitysupplementationandmulti-nationalresponseplansshouldbedevelopedfor

longterm.ThereisapotentialforamechanismwhereNDMOsfromthesmallIsland

countriescansupporteachother(White,2015).


67

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http://www.adpc.net/igo/contents/Training/training-schedule.asp#sthash.uby99mNI.dpbs

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FBC.(2015).Disasterriskmanagementcapacitybuildingpriority:Kubuabola.Suva.Retrievedfrom

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FijiGovernment.(2013).NationalDisasterManagementPlan.JournalofChemicalInformationandModeling.Fiji:FijiGovernment.http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004

FNU.(2015).FijiNationalUniversityAcademicProgramme,(02),1–27.Retrievedfrom

http://www.fnu.ac.fj/new/images/academic/Programme_List_09.02.15.pdf

Gero.(2013).DisasterresponseandclimatechangeinthePacific.Pacific:UniversityofSydney.Retrievedfromhttps://www.nccarf.edu.au/publications/disaster-response-climate-change-

pacific

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Hay,J.(2011).DiscussionPaperPacificAdaptationtoClimateChange :PastApproachesandConsiderationsfortheFuture.Australia:CardnoAcil,EmergingMarkets.Retrievedfrom

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Hay,J.(2014).DisasterRiskReductionandClimateChangeAdaptationinthePacific.Retrievedfrom

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communities--feb-6-2015.pdf


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AnnexA:ResponsetotheSteeringCommittee

QuestionsandCommentsAssuggestedbythesteeringcommittee,weareworkingtocomeupwithasnapshotoftheresearch

report designed for specific audiences and partner organisations. The snapshot will highlight key

aspectsofresearchcoveringdisastermanagementchallenges,gaps,skillsdemandsandkeyfindings.

Most comments concerned programme modality, pathways and implementations will be further

clarified through the programme concept paper that will be shared with the steering committee

shortly.

Inrelationtotheresearchmethodology,recruitmentofparticipantsandkeyfindings,pleasenotethe

following;

Asyoucanseetheresearchhastappedmanyareasincludingformalandinformalcapacitybuilding

providers, programme recipients, long-term and short-term courses, gaps, skills, demands and

preferenceforcapacitydevelopmentmodalityexpressedbylocal,national,government,INGOsand

faith-basedorganisations.Weacknowledgethechallengesaroundlogistics,remoteness,diversitiesin

termsofmultiplicityoflanguages,cultures,andrisksvaryingfromplacetoplacesincludingthebarrier

oftechnologywhichwillbefurtherexploredwith localPacificstakeholder(FijiNationalUniversity,

UniversityofSouthPacific,INGOs,localorganisationsandotherstakeholders)duringtheup-coming

programmedesigndiscussion.

Albeit thesechallenges, therearepotentialdemands foraccreditedqualificationmostlyexpressed

throughacombinationofpracticeandtheoryinordertogetin-depthknowledgeviaaconsecutive

programmecoveringarangeofunitsthatwillnotonlybuildin-depthunderstandingaboutstructures,

principles,valuesbutwillalsoinfluencegovernmentandcommunitytoadoptpoliciesandpractices

that are responsive and respectful for the local communities. In saying this, the prospective

programme(TBDattheprogrammedesignstage)willestablishpathwaysandintegraterecognitions

ofshort-termprogrammesthatwillhelpstudentstoattendwithminimumqualificationandwould

establishprogrammecoordinationwithotherstakeholders.

Pathwaysforlocalorganisationstoparticipateintheresearchprocesswaslimitedbythegovernance

ofhumanitarianorganisationandthecapacityoflocalorganisationsinthehumanitarianspace.Local

organisationshavehadlimitedopportunitytoparticipateinhumanitarianresponse,discussionforums


71

anddisastermanagementinterventions.Thisinturnhadimplicationontheresearchprocesstorecruit

local organisations (key informants who have interests and information about disaster and

humanitarianassistance)thatlimitsthereachandaccesstoparticipateinresearch.Inaddition,local

organisationsexpressedlackofownershipofhumanitarianmandateandlimitedinformationabout

disastermanagement.However,wehavethevoiceoflocalstaffmembersrepresentedfromINGOs

andgovernmentintheresearch.

Protectionandgenderisbrieflyhighlightedintheresearchreport,weassumetheprogrammedesign

will consider gender, protection and inclusion as cross-cutting themes andwill be integrated into

subjects/unitswhereappropriate(tobediscussedduringtheprogrammedesignstage).

Aspartofcommentshighlightedinthereport,pleasenotethefollowing;

Pre-empiricalresearch:Thedatawascollectedthroughkeyinformantinterviews,onlinesurveysand

focusgroupdiscussions.Aspartofdatacollectionquestionnaires,therearelimitedmeasuresdueto

socio-economicissuesintermsofaccesstointernet,language,perceptionofrisk,etc.Therehasbeen

some research conducted in this area (Rapid Gender Analysis by CARE; University of Technology

Sydneystudiedthedisasterresponsesystem)andwearemindfulofthePacificdiversities,general

vulnerabilitiesandriskincludingaccesstointernetandindividuals.Also,wewillfurtherexplorethe

feasibilityanddesignofprospectiveprogrammeswithourpartnerincludingPacificgovernmentand

non-governmentorganisations toensureviability.Wewill share theprogrammedesigndiscussion

papershortlytofacilitatetheprogrammedesignaccordingly.

Inregardstoprevioustrainingparticipants,wehaveinterviewedgovernmentandnon-government

actors fromboth local and international organisations in the Pacific.However, access to the local

disastermanagementcommitteeinlocalvillageswerebeyondtheresearchscopeandcapacity.Inthis

context, we have targeted and prioritised the direct recipient of previous disaster management

trainingcoursesanddisastermanagementofficials.

In relation to low education levels and capacity that would limit participation in the prospective

capacitydevelopmentprogramme.Wewillcomeupwithaprogrammeofitsowndevisingthatwill

setappropriateeducationandlanguageentryrequirementsthatwillenableaccesstotheprogramme.

However,theprogrammewillnotaccommodateparticipantswhereeducationandlanguageskillsare

insufficientandbelowaminimumthreshold.Notingtheprogrammeisdesignedforindividualswho

areworkinginthesystemnotforcommunity-baseddisastercommitteeinthevillages.Wewillalso

establishpathwaysforrecognitionofpriorlearningfromindustrybasedtrainingandexperienceto


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enablebroaderbasedaccesstotheprogramme.Thiswillbefurtherhighlightedindetailaspartofthe

programmedesignpaper.

Aspartofsimulationandexercises,mostparticipantsexpressedpractice-basedqualificationwhere

simulationandexerciseswherehighly regardedbyparticipants.Asmentionedearlier,participants

indicated“wehavebeengoingthroughshort-termcoursessincelong,itistimeforustogetqualified”.

AwardqualificationwashighlyfavouredbylocalparticipantsfromNGOsandgovernmentofficials.

Challengesoftrainingcollaboration:nomechanismtosharetrainingagendasduringtrainingdesign

and implementations that led to fragmentedofferingswhereprogrammesarenotbuildingon the

outcomesofeachother,remainsrepetitive,ad-hocandintroductory;nationalgovernmentgenerally

haslimitedcapacitytoprovidetrainingandcapacitybuildingservices

Coordinationandcommunicationisagreatchallenge.Thereareseveralfactorsincludingfragmented

needsassessment,stakeholdercommunicationthatarefurtherexacerbatedbypoorleadership,lack

of guidance and support, leaning towards independent approaches where stakeholders are not

properlyconsultedtocomeupwithasharedvisionduringpreparednessandhumanitarianresponse.

Whileacknowledgingthedemandofspecificcontext,organizationrequirementsanddisasterspecific

approach,thereisaneedforanintegratedassessmentapproachwherestakeholderscollaboratively

designassessmentwithacleardatacollectionstrategythatwouldenhancesharinginformationand

coordination. This will reduce duplication of data and community frustration by different

organisationsaskingthesamequestionsrepeatedly.


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RelationshipsbetweenResearchPrioritiesandtheHumanitarianCompetencyFrameworks

CompetencyFrameworkEmergencyManagementCompetencyFramework(EMCF)inthePacific(SPC,2013)

CoreHumanitarianCompetencyFramework(CHCF)definedbyCBHA/ContextProgramme(UKAID,n.d.)

ChildProtectioninEmergencies(CPIE)CompetencyFramework(Inter-agencyInitiative,2010)

HumanitarianCoordinationCompetencyFramework(HCCF)(IASC,2009)

CapacityPrioritieshighlightedbyResearchconductedbyCHL

CoreBusinessCompetency Competencyforroleandfunction

Humanitarianarchitecture

Gap Gap

Understandinghumanitariancontextsandapplyinghumanitarianprinciples

Managingyourself FormulatingStrategies,ApplyingHumanitarianPrinciplesandNorms

ProgrammeManagement Managementqualities Planning Achievingresults Managingyourself;achievingresults;managingresources

PlanningandOrganizing;AnalysingComplexity

CommunicationandCoordination Communication;Interactionwithothers;

Mainstreaming,networkingandrelationships;informationmanagement

DevelopingandMaintainingcollaborativerelationships

Workingwithothers RelatingandNetworking;FosteringHumanitarianTeamwork;NegotiationandAdvocacy;PresentingandCommunicatingInformation

Disastermanagement Occupationalcompetencies

Understandingthetheoriesandconceptsofemergencymanagement;Risk(identification,management,reduction,mitigation),responseandoperations;recovery

Operatingsafelyandsecurelyatalltimes

Managingresources

Gap

Leadership Leadership Demonstratingleadershipinhumanitarianresponse;Managingyourselfina

Workingwithothers;achievingresults

CopingwithPressureandSetbacks;AdaptingandRespondingtoChange


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pressuredandchangingenvironment

Additionalareasinthecompetencyframeworks

Personaleffectivenessandcognition

Communityengagement,educationandawareness;trainingpersonalandprofessionaldevelopment;preparednessincludingresearchandexercising;debriefing,reviews,andlearningfromexperience;managementfinanceandHR


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Similarities:

Thevariouscompetencyframeworksdemonstratealignmentofresearchprioritieswithcompetencies

articulated by CHCF, CIPE, EMCF and HCCF. The research highlights key priorities: leadership,

communication, coordination, programme management, humanitarian architecture, and disaster

management identified by stakeholders in the Pacific.While the various competency frameworks

highlyresembleinmostpartswithresearchpriorities,itusesdifferentlanguagesfordescribingsimilar

capabilitiesandskills, suchasachieving results,programmemanagement,andmanagingqualities.

Similarly,CHCFhighlightsunderstandinghumanitariancontextandapplyinghumanitarianprinciple,

developingandmaintainingcollaborativerelationshipsanddemonstratingleadershipinhumanitarian

responseaskeycompetenciesthatarethoroughlyalignedwithresearchprioritiesexpressedinthe

aboveframework.

Differences:

There areonly fewminordiscrepancies among the various competency frameworks including the

research priorities highlighted in the above competency framework. The Pacific Competency

Framework also highlighted personal effectiveness, cognition, management, finance and human

resource as key functional competencies that aredifferent toother frameworks and the research

priorities. It is worthmentioning that the EMCF covers a wide range of operational, logistic, and

occupationalareasincludingcompetencyforcorebusinessandfunctionalareascoveringawiderange

ofoccupationalroleandbusinessareas.

Challenges:

Thechallengeistoconsistentlydefinemanagementrolesacrossseveralcompetencyframeworksand

within a multidisciplinary humanitarian/disaster management context in order to align context

specific prioritieswith regional and international competency frameworks, ranging fromPacific to

Africa,middleeastandAsia coveringmultidisciplinary issuesandchallenges, thereby the research

highlightsalignmentingeneralintermsofcapacityprioritieswithcompetencyframeworksanddoes

notmakecross-casecomparisoninreferencetospecificrole/occupation.

Wethereforehighlightthefollowing;

Ø Capacitymodalitypreference,functionalchallengesandtrainingneedsareinformedby

researchandalignedtovariouscompetencyframeworksthatwouldhelptodesigna

relevantprogrammecurriculaanddesign


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Ø Theresearchaddressesalignmentofcapacityneeds in linewithseveralcompetency

frameworksbutdoesnotmakeaspecificreferencetoindividualoccupationorrole.


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AnnexB:AuditTrail

Criteria Sub-componentofcriteria

The audit trail demonstratestriangulationofmultipledata sources,methods and confirmation of theprimary analysis by usingmethodological rigor to ensuretrustworthiness and credibility of theresearchfindings.

ResearchDesign:

• Researchmethodology,questionsandplanhavebeendesignedthrougha

collaborative stakeholder consultation process in order to account for all

plausiblefactorsduringdatacollection

• Research methodology and methods have informed by an in-depth

literaturereview

• Questionsandtoolsweretestedbeforedatacollection

DataCollection:

• Keyinformantshavebeenselectedbasedontheirexperienceandknowledge

inthesector

• Keyinformantshavebeenconfirmedthroughotherstakeholders(NGOsand

Government)toensuretherigorofpurposefulsample

• Fourdatacollectiontoolshavebeendeployed(Keyinformant,focusgroup,

online survey and literature) to triangulate themes and findings from

differentsources

DataTranscription:

• The researcherhasundertakena constructionistparadigmconsidering the

natureoftheopen-endedquestionsoftheinterviews

• Whiletranscribing,theresearcherhasusedacomputer-aidedtohighlightkey

pointstokeeptrackofdata

• The researcher has coded themain themes of research supported by the

quotesfromparticipants

• The key informant transcriptswere carefully readwith a purpose inmind

whilefocusingontheresearchquestionandareasofinterests.

CodingandAnalysis:

• Relatedtotheresearchquestions,eachtranscriptstatementwasassigned

witharepresentinglabel


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• The transcript is re-read for emerging codes andmoving codes between

categoriestopreventpotentialoverlap.

• Initial patterns and relationshipswerehighlightedby establishing themes

andsubsequentbroadercategories

• Identifyingtheinitialcorrelationsandpossiblecasualrelationstohighlight

thebroaderthemesandcategories

• Discarded informationfromdatareductionhavebeenproperlysavedand

documentedforanypossiblefuturere-examination

• Theproposedcodesandthemeshavebeenverifiedbycross-checkingwith

theinitialtranscripts,themesandcategoriestoensurecorrectmeaningsare

drawn.

• Acknowledging the overlap between indicators that led to a subsequent

commonalitybetweencodesandthemes.

• Ihavefollowedtheinitialresearchparadigmwhileinterpretinganddrawing

meanings.

InterpretationandDrawingConclusion:

• Toverifyhowconclusionsweremade,abrief sequential catalogueof the

initial data, codes, themes and categories have been established that

connectstheinitialdatadowntointerpretationandconclusion.

• The researcher has verified the conclusion by revisiting themes and

categories to ensure dominant and sub-dominant themes have been

properlycoveredintheconclusion.

• Duringtheinterpretationandconclusion,theresearcherhasfocusedonthe

initialresearchquestionsandparadigmthathelpedtoconsistentlylinkthe

different pieces together and draw conclusion in line with the research

questions.

Methodologicaltriangulation:

• The proposed list of key informants, focus group discussion and onlinesurveyswasverifiedbydifferentstakeholders,suchasthelocalgovernmentandNGOstoensureknowledgeableindividualsareidentifiedforthestudy.

• Theresearchhasidentifiedmultipledatacollectionmethods,suchasfocusgroup, key informant interviews and surveys to triangulate informationfromdifferentsources

• Attheendofeach interview,theparticipantswereaskedtoconfirmtheprimaryanalysisandinterpretationdrawnbyinterviewer.


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• Theresearchisbasedontheaudittrailthatdocumentsthedataprocess,datareduction,interpretationanddecisionmakingprocesses

• The researcher’s role and processes were discussed with academics(research supervisor) to ensure consistency and viability of themethodologyanddatacollectionmethods

• TheresearchisbasedontheuniversityethicalapprovalnoHAE-16-036

Reporting:

• Inlinewiththeresearchquestions,thedifferentsectionofthereporthas

beensynthesizedwithinthefocusonkeythemes,categoriesandparticipant

quotestoremainfocusedontheresearchtask.

• Judgments have beenwithdrawnwhile focusing onmeaning, quotes and

categorieshighlighted


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AnnexC:TrainingProgrammesandStakeholders

Providers AreaandScope Focus/location KeyCourses

University of South Pacificwith collaboration ofUnitedNationsUniversity(UNU),RoyalMelbourne Institute ofTechnologyUniversity(RMITUniversity)andUnited NationEnvironmentProgramme(UNEP)

Environmental ImpactAssessment/Strategic EnvironmentAssessment(EIA/SEA)course

Pacific • The developed this targeting environmental managers inthePacific.ThiscourseisalsoofferedforthePostGraduateDiplomainClimateChangeprogramme.

• Integrated Waste Management Course: In collaborationwith SPREP, PACE has been undertaking informaltrainingcourses,shortandlong,asacapacitybuildingcomponentof amajor French project onWasteManagement in thePacific.

CharlesDarwinUniversity Introductiontothefieldofemergencyanddisaster management. The courses areavailable to study online, these coursesprovide essential knowledge and skillscovering all phases of disaster cyclemanagement.

Pacificandgloballyfocused• NEW Graduate Certificate of Emergency and Disaster

Management

• NEW Graduate Diploma of Emergency and Disaster

Management

• MasterofEmergencyandDisasterManagement

Secretariat of the PacificCommunity(SPC)

DisasterRiskManagement training in theregion

Trainings are delivered at theregional, national, sub-nationalandcommunitylevel.

• IntroductiontoDisasterManagement• InitialDamageAssessment• EvacuationCentreManagement• DisasterRiskReduction• EmergencyOperationsCentres


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• ExerciseManagement• RiskProgrammeManagement• TrainingforInstructors• Geographic Information Systems for Disaster Risk

Management(Basic)• Geographic Information Systems for Disaster Risk

Management(Advanced)• Disaster Riskmanagement tools and applications training

forPacificdisastermanagers• PacificDisasterNetUserTraining(SPC,2016)• A separateprogrammeon Institutionalizationof trainings

acrossPacificgovernmentorganizations

TheUniversityofSouthPacific The Postgraduate Diploma in ClimateChange

Pacific• MasterandPhDinClimateChange

Thediplomacoversthefollowing:

• ClimateChange:Impacts,VulnerabilityandAdaptation

• DisasterRiskManagement(DRM)Assessment

• ClimateScience

• Environmental Impact Assessment/Strategic Environment

Assessment

Centre for Excellence inDisaster Management andHumanitarianAssistance

The Center’s mission is to advise U.S.PacificCommand leaders; enable focusedengagements,trainingandeducation;andincrease knowledgeof best practices and

Regional/global • HumanitarianAssistanceResponseTraining(HART)Course• HealthEmergenciesinLargePopulations(H.E.L.P.)Course• DisasterManagementHumanitarianAssistance


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information to enhance U.S. andinternational civil-military preparednessfor disaster management andhumanitarianassistance.

Asian Disaster PreparednessCentre(ADPC)

Shortandlongtermdisastermanagementthat include generic and specializedtrainingcourses

Regional Pacific and globalfocus

GenericCourses

• Community-BasedDisasterRiskReduction(CBDRR)

• DisasterManagement(DMC)

• MainstreamingDisasterRiskReductioninLocalGovernance

(MDRRG)

• MainstreamingDisasterRiskReduction intoDevelopment

Planning(MDRD)

• MonitoringandEvaluationforDRR(MEDRR)

Hazard-specificcourses

• ClimateRiskManagementandClimateChangeAdaptation

(CRM)

• FloodDisasterRiskManagement(FDRM)

• EarthquakeVulnerabilityReduction(EVRC)

• SeismicHazardRiskAssessment

Ø

SpecializedCourses


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• CommunityActionforDisasterResponse(CADRE)

• DisasterRiskCommunication(DRC)

• EmergencyExerciseManagement

• EmergencyResponseManagement

• End-to-EndMulti-HazardEarlyWarningSystems(EWS)

• DamageAssessment&NeedAnalysis(DANA)

• GISforDisasterRiskManagement(GIS4DRM)

• IncidentCommandSystem(ICS)

• IncidentManagementSystem(IMS)

• Coursesonpublichealth:

• HospitalEmergencyPreparednessandResponse(HEPR)

• HospitalPreparednessforEmergencies(HOPE)

• MedicalFirstResponders

• MentalHealthandPsychosocialSupport(MHPSS)

• NutritioninEmergencies(NIE)

• PublicHealthinComplexEmergencies(PHCE)

• PublicHealthandEmergencyManagementinAsiaandthe

Pacific(PHEMAP)(ADPC,2016)

Fiji National University (Theprogramme has beendevelopedinpartnershipwiththe Disaster Reduction

FNUOffers aPostGraduateCertificate inDisasterRiskManagement.

Fijiandregionalfocused Keyunitsinclude:

• DisasterRiskManagementConcepts

• DisasterRiskReduction


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Programme at the AppliedGeoscience and TechnologyDivisionofSPCandconsistsoffour post-graduate levelcourses)

• EmergencyRiskManagement

• EmergencyRecoveryandEvaluation(FNU,2015)

Railala Nakabea at [email protected] (link is external)(+6793233290)orKirstieMé[email protected] (link isexternal)(+6793383177).

The Solomon IslandsNationalUniversity

An abridged course for nursing studentscovering Introduction to DisasterManagement and Initial DamageAssessmentcourses

[email protected](or0732327220).

TheUnitedNations EconomicandSocialCommissionforAsiaandthePacific

Disaster Risk Management E-learningplatform

ESCAPlaunchesnewonlinee-learningplatformtohelpbuildresilience todisasters inAsia-Pacific

Access:http://137.189.162.178/

(UN,2015)

European Union and thePacific partner for vocationaleducation on climate andenergy

Technical Vocational Education TrainingforSustainableEnergyandClimateChangeAdaption(EU-PacTVET)project

Regional focus implementedby Secretariat of the PacificCommunity (SPC) and TheUniversityoftheSouthPacific(USP)

http://www.spc.int/en/media

GIZ, Marine and CoastalBiodiversity Management inPacificIslandCountries

GISCapacityBuildinginPacificIsland:TheQ-BookMoodle

PacificRegion


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IFRCTrainingScheme IFRC provide a wide range of trainingsfocused on the pacific region andinternationally

PacificandInternational• Online postgraduate certificate programme in disaster

management

• Master level short course in Shelter and Settlements in

Emergencies

• DisasterManager’sInduction(IFRC)

• InternationalDelegateTraining(IFRC)

• RegionalDisasterResponseTeam(IFRC)

• EmergencyResponseTeam(IFRC)

• NationalDisasterResponseTeam(IFRC)

• AirCrashSimulationExercises(Govt)

• PacificDisasterResponseTraining(IFRC)

• IT&Telecommunications(IFRC)

• WeaponsofMassDestruction(IFRC)

• IntroductiontoDisasterServices(IFRC)

• AirportDisasterResponse(IFRC)

OXFAM Disastermanagementandplanning Pacific and Internationalfocused

• EmergencyResponseTraining(Oxfam)

• ContingencyPlanning(Oxfam)

• SecurityPlanTraining(Oxfam)

NGOs and other stakeholdersshorttermtrainingcourses

Awiderangeoffragmentedtrainingshavebeen conducted by NGOs and other

Pacificregion


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stakeholderssuchasRedCross,theWorldbank,etc.

• Initialdamageassessment

• Disasterpreparedness

• Disasterrecovery

• CrisesResponsetraining

• Evacuationcentretraining

• Emergencyevacuationtraining

• Basicmanagementtraining

• Disasterdatatraining

UNDACTraining UNDAC Offers two courses: the UNDACInduction Course and the UNDACRefresherCourse

InternationalFocused The Induction Course is a two-week training that givesparticipants applicable knowledge about UNDAC's coreactivities: assessment, coordination and informationmanagement.TheRefresherCourseisafour-tofive-daytrainingcourse that UNDAC roster participants are required to takeeverytwoyearstomaintaintheseskill levels.Onceayear,anUNDACspecialtycourseonenvironmentalemergenciesisalsooffered.

ASEANERATinduction Asiafocused TrainsdisastermanagersfromASEANMemberStatesonhowtoassist affected Governments and the AHA Centre in meetingregional and/or internationalneeds for coordination, and forearly and quality information during the initial phase of asudden-onset emergency. ERAT trainings are conducted overfour or five days and focus on assessment, coordination,information management and equipment use within the


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AADMER operational framework. Initial courses have alsocoveredUNDACmethodologieswithsupportfromOCHA

International Search andRescue Advisory Group(INSARAG)

INSARAG training is designed to shareinternationally accepted procedures andsystems for sustained cooperationbetweenUSARteamsinanemergency.

Internationalfocused Trainings focuses on the following phases: preparedness,mobilization,operations,demobilizationandpost-mission.

UNHCRE-Centretraining UNHCR offers in-depth technicalinformation on sector-specific emergencyissues,withafocus

onforcedmigrationandprotection.

International-Focused TheTokyo-basede-Centrerunsapproximately

10to12trainingsperyearcoveringtopicsincludingcontingencyplanning,border

management in humanitarian emergencies, standards ofprotection,safetyinthefield,

Mediamanagementandhumanitariancoordination.

UN HQ-Based Civil-MilitaryCoordinationCentre

UN Humanitarian Civil-MilitaryCoordination

isofferedbyOCHAthroughitsHQ-

based Civil-Military Coordination Section(CMCS)

UN-CMCoord training is forstaff of Governmentorganizations, aid agencies,civil-

protection units, military andcivil-defence organizations,UNagencies,theRCRC

MovementandNGOs.

National and international actors are trained in humanitariancivil-military coordination concept and principles and theirpractical application in emergencies. The various coursesoffered

are the Familiarization Course, the Regular Course, the FieldCourseandtheTraining-of-Trainerscourse


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UN-CMCoordtraining OCHA initiated Training and PartnershipUnit (TPU) establishes partnerships withvarious organisations around the world,whichallowsOCHAtodeliverandsustainits UN-CMCoord Training Programmecatering to the training needs of itsbeneficiarieswithinthehumanitarianandmilitarycommunities.

Internationalfocused ThecoreUN-CMCoordtrainingcoursesincludes:

• UN-CMCoordCourse

• UN-CMCoordFieldCourse

• UN-CMCoordTrainingofTrainers(ToT)Course

• UN-CMCoordFamiliarisationCourse

PEERTraining The Programme for Enhancement ofEmergency Response (PEER) is a regionaltraining programme initiated in 1998 bythe U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment, Office of U.S. ForeignDisaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) tostrengthendisasterresponsecapacities inAsia. The programme covers six Asiancountries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,Nepal,

PakistanandthePhilippines.

Asiafocused• MedicalFirstResponder(MFR)

• CollapsedStructureSearch

• Rescue(CSSR)andHospitalPreparednessforEmergencies

(HOPE)

• TrainingforInstructors(TFI)

• TrainingforInstructorsHand-offWorkshop

• MedicalFirstResponderInstructor

• CollapsedStructureSearchandRescueInstructors

• Workshop(CSSRIW)MasterInstructorsWorkshop(MIW)

• SubsidiaryCourses:CanineSearchandRescue

• IntroductiontoDisasterManagement(IDM)

The Asia Foundation (TAF) –USAID Office of US Foreign

The USAID Pacific Disaster RiskManagement Programme (PDRMP) incollaborationwith SPC/SOPAC is the only

PICFocused• IntroductiontoDisasterManagement

• EmergencyOperationsCentres


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Disaster Assistance (OFDA)Course

trainingprogrammeintheregionthathasbeenconsistentlyonoffertoPICsandthedisaster management community since1995.AsofDecember2011,thereweresixcourses offered, with a new one beingdeveloped (Disaster Risk Reduction) andone being ‘reviewed and revisited’ uponrequestfromcountries(EvacuationCentreManagement).

• InitialDamageAssessment

• TrainingforInstructors

• RiskProgrammeManagement

• EvacuationCentreManagement

• ExerciseManagement

RedR • EssentialofhumanitarianPractice

• HumanitarianLogisticsinEmergencies

• PersonalSafety,Securityandcommunication

• WaterSanitationandHygieneinEmergencies

• ChildProtectioninEmergencies

• CustomisedTrainingCourses

• ProtectionCapacityStandbyTraining

• SphereHandbookTrainingofTrainers

• SecurityRiskManagementTraining

• MissionAviationFellowship

• AustralianMedicalAssistanceTeam

• OCHACivmilCoordination

• WorldVisionSecurityRiskManagement

• OCHAFirstTraining

• PersonalSafetyandSecurityWorkshop


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• EssentialsofHumanitarianNegotiation

Information about individual courses can be found here:http://www.redr.org.au/training/humanitarian-training/training-courses#.Vv3BXUaPN_A


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AnnexD:QuestionnairesHumanitarianManagersCapacityNeedsAssessment

WelcometotheResearchStudy

Thankyouforparticipatinginoursurvey.Yourfeedbackisveryimportant.

The main objective of the capacity needs assessment is to identify perceived strength areas for

development. Theassessmentwill inform thedesignof ahumanitarianprogramme to strengthen

capacityofhumanitarianmanagers.

This questionnaire is designed for disaster management professionals, humanitarian assistance

practitioner, previous disaster management trainings participants, government, NGOs/CSOs, and

private sector organisations staff members who have been working in disaster management or

humanitarian assistance. Your responses will help us to design a coherent humanitarian capacity

developmentprogramme.

Proceedingwiththesurvey,youragreeingtotheplainlanguagestatementsentbyemailalongwith

thissurveythatcoverssecurity,confidentialityandanonymityofdataandparticipants.

Pleasebeawarethatallresponsesarekeptsecureandconfidential.

Demographics

TopofForm

*1.GeneralInformation

*2.Areyoumaleorfemale?

Male

Female

*3.Whatisyourage?

18-20

21-29

30-39


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40-49

50-59

60orolder

*4.Inwhatcountrydoyoucurrentlyreside?

*5.Whatisthehighestlevelofschoolyouhavecompletedorthehighestdegreeyouhavereceived?

Lessthanhighschooldegree

Highschooldegreeorequivalent(e.g.,GED)

Somecollegebutnodegree

Associatedegree

Bachelordegree

Graduatedegree

Post-Graduatedegree

*6.Whichofthefollowingcategoriesbestdescribesyouremploymentstatus?

Academia

NGOs/CSOs

Government

Donor

Consultants

PrivateSector

Other(pleasespecify)

Current/PreviousTraining


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7.Haveyou completedany training indisastermanagementorhumanitarianassistance? If yes,pleasedescribethedetailsofthecourse.

*8.Howwouldyouratethewayprevioustrainingsaredesignedanddeliveredintermsofneedsand the training results?(The concept of training design and delivery comprises of visual simulations, training duration,practiceorwork-basedlearning,theoryfocused,onlineorclassroom-basedlearningoramixtureofvariouselementstofulfiltheneedsofparticipants).

Completelyeffective

MostlyEffective

Moderatelyeffective

MostlyIneffective

Completelyineffective

9.Ifyouansweredcompletelyineffectiveormostlyineffective,pleasegiveabriefexplanationofwhyyoubelieveso,ifnotgodirectlytothenextquestion.

*10.Pleaselistthreemajorstrengthsandthreemajorweaknessesinthecurrent/previoustrainingsthatyouhaveattended?

13.Pleaselistyourprioritytrainingareasintheorderofimportanceforyouoryourorganisation?

* 14. Which one of the following would you consider as barriers to effectivehumanitarian/disasterresponse management? (Please note that you can select multipleanswersforthisquestion)

OrganisationStructure

OrganisationalProcedures

Lackofsupportfromleadership

Short-termtrainings

Lackoflearninganddevelopmentopportunity

Fragmented,disjointtrainingprogrammes

Personalcircumstances


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Poorcoordination

Weakcommunication

Nobarriers

Other(pleasespecify)

15.Incaseyouhaveselectedanyoftheabovebarriers,pleasedescribewhythatisabarrierandhow

itcanbeimproved?

*16.Pleaselistthreewaysthatdisasterstrainingsprogrammescouldbeimprovedforyouandyour

organisationinfuture?

Prospectivedevelopmentprogramme

* 17. In your opinion, if a certificate/diploma programme in humanitarian assistance/disaster

responsewereoffered,whatwouldbethemostcriticaltopicsthatshouldbeofferedinsuchacourse

ofstudy?

*18.Acertificate/diplomainhumanitarianassistance/disastermanagementwouldenhancedisaster

managementresponseaftergraduation?

*19.Describeatleastthreekeychallengesforyourdepartment/organisationintermsofeffectively

preparing for natural disaster and mitigating risk from climate change (i.e. knowledge,

data/information,technology,fund,time,leadership,etc.)

20.Pleasenominatetwootherindividualsalongwiththeiremailcontactsthatyoubelievearesuitable

tobecontactedforthisresearchstudy?

*21.Areyouhappytobecontactedforaskypeorface-to-faceinterviewatyourconvenience?

22.Anyothersuggestions/comments

KeyInformantQuestionnaire(Unfolding/DevelopingStructure)Date:

Name(voluntarily):

Gender:

Country:

Role:

Organization/Dept.:


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Educationlevel:

Email/TelephoneNo:

Numberofyearsinpost:

Disastermanagement:

1. Whattypeoforganizationoragencydoyouworkfor?

a. Academic

b. NGOs/CSOs

c. Government

d. Donor

e. Other

2. Inwhatstate/province/districtdoyouwork?

3. Whatisyourpersonalexperienceandlevelofengagementindisastermanagement?Howwould

youdescribeyourorganization’slevelofengagement?Hasthisbeenpositive?

4. Whattypeofcoordinationmechanismareavailablewithinthecountryfordisastermanagement?

5. Whatdoyouthinkabouttheclustercoordinationapproach?

6. What are the key strengths of disaster management organisation (NDMO) and the broader

humanitariannetworkinyourarea?

7. Whatmakesthedisastermanagementmoreeffective?

8. Whatmakesthedisastermanagementmorechallengingandhowitcanbeimproved?

9. Doyouoryourorganizationhaveaccesstoenoughinformationaboutwhatishappeningorwhat

servicesmaybeavailableduringdisasterresponse?

10. Is there a regular communication and coordination between stakeholders during disaster

response?Ifnothowitcanbeimproved?

Ø What are the emerging trends for disaster management staff that influence

humanitarianresponse?

TrainingsandDevelopment

Ø Whattrainingshaveyoureceivedsofar?

Ø Whatworkedwellinrelationtoprevioustraining?

Ø Whatdidnotworkwellinrelationtoprevioustrainings?

Ø Whattrainingmechanismandmodalityareof interests toyouoryourorganizations

andwhy?

Ø Consideringyourjobrequirements,doyoufeelyouneedmoretrainings?


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Ø Whatarethekeyprioritytrainingareasforyouoryourorganizationinwhichyouwould

liketoreceivemoretrainingsandeducation?

Ø Whyarethesetrainingsimportantforyou/yourorganisation?

Ø Is there any existing mechanism for coordinating trainings and capacity building

programmes,ifyes,pleasedescribe?

Ø Howaretrainingcoursescoordinatedamongstakeholders?

Ø In your opinion, if a certificate/diploma programme in disaster management were

offered,whataresomeofthemostcriticaltopicsthatshouldbeofferedinsuchacourse

ofstudythatwouldrespondtotheneedsofdisastermanagementprofessional?

OrganisationCapacity:

Ø Doauthoritieshavethecapacitytodeveloppoliciesandmechanismstoensuremulti-

stakeholderparticipationindisastermanagement?Ifnot,whatshouldbedonetobuild

thiscapacity?

Ø Do authorities have the capacity to manage and coordinate humanitarian

assistance/disaster response effectively? If not, what should be done to build this

capacity?

Ø Doauthoritieshavethecapacitytoeffectivelycommunicateandshareinformationwith

stakeholders?Ifnot,whatshouldbedonetobuildthiscapacity?

Ø Doauthoritieshavethecapacitytoconductacomprehensiveneedsassessment?Ifnot,

whatshouldbedonetobuildthiscapacity?

Ø Doauthoritieshavethecapacitytomakequickchanges/reformtosystemandpolicies

ifdeemednecessary?Ifnot,whatshouldbedonetobuildthiscapacity?

Ø Isthereaneffectiveprogrammebudgeting,projectmanagementandimplementation

capacity?Ifnot,whatshouldbedonetobuildthiscapacity?

FocusGroupDiscussion

Objective:Identifycapacitybuilding/developingneedsfordisastermanagementprofessionals.

Thefollowingquestionsareflexible,unfoldingandexploratoryinnaturethatwouldfacilitaterelevant

datacollection.


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Participants: Disaster management staff members who are directly responsible for designing,

managing, coordinating and communicating disaster response and humanitarian assistance.

Participantswilluseflipchartstohighlight,describeandelaborateonthefollowingquestions.

AnecdotalquestionstofacilitatetheFocusGroupDiscussion:

ChallengesandSolutionfordisastermanagers:

1. Highlightspotentialchallengesindisastermanagement?

2. Potential/possiblesolutiontoovercomethedisastermanagementchallenges?

3. Howarethesechallengesandsolutionsrelatedtocapacitybuildingprogrammes?

Current/PreviousTrainingCourses

4. Whatskillsarecommonlyfoundinyourorganisation?

5. Howaretrainingprogrammescoordinated?

6. Do thecurrent capacitybuilding/developing interventionsaddresses thecapacityneedsof

disastermanagementprofessionals?Ifnot,whatshouldbedonetoaddressthiscapacity?

7. Describethemodalityofcurrent/previoustrainingprogrammes?

• Modality/mechanism:

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

FutureTrainingCourses

8. Whatskillsareneededformanaginganeffectivedisasterresponse?

9. Whatarethekeyprioritytrainingscoursesforyouoryourorganisation?

10. Whattypeoftrainingmechanismanddeliverymodalityisneeded?

• Durationoftrainings:

• Modality:(Academic/Practice-based/Online)

• TargetGroup

11. Thingsthatshouldnotberepeatedinthefuturetrainings?

12. Thingsthatshouldberepeatedinfuturetrainings?

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