Fiji Endorses the Pacific’s First Anticipatory Action Framework for Tropical Cyclones

Suva, Fiji (21 February 2024) – The Anticipatory Action Framework for Tropical Cyclones in Fiji has just been endorsed by Fiji Peoples' Coalition Cabinet in a recent session, underscoring a shared commitment towards building resilience and safeguarding vulnerable communities on the front line of the Climate Crisis. 

The initiative, funded through the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and co-financed by various UN agencies, marks a significant step towards proactive disaster response and climate adaptation.

“This collaborative endeavour exemplifies the power of proactive measures in addressing the complex challenges posed by climate-related disasters and provides a vital tool for timely and effective humanitarian response to communities,” said Dirk Wagener, UN Resident Coordinator for Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. "The urgency for investing in anticipatory action in the Pacific has never been more apparent.”

Anticipatory Action (AA) is commonly defined as acting ahead of predicted hazards to prevent or reduce acute humanitarian impacts before they fully unfold. This innovative concept is increasingly recognized and adopted globally across humanitarian aid, climate change, disaster, and climate finance sectors.

“The humanitarian system must be as anticipatory as possible, and only as reactive as necessary” said Hon. Sakiasi Ditoka, the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management.

Fiji is the first country in the Pacific region to pilot an UN-facilitated collective AA framework for tropical cyclones. Building upon existing Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) frameworks, this initiative enables timely actions and financing triggered by forecasted hazards, thus shifting from reactive to proactive response strategies to mitigate and address predictable climate disasters.

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are coordinating the pilot project with relevant ministries and UN partners. The trigger mechanism has been designed by the OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data, the Fiji Meteorological Services (FMS), and the NDMO. 

The AA project will be triggered by a tropical cyclone that is forecasted by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) Nadi to be a:

• Category 4 or 5 while within 250 km of Fiji (The Category in the Australian scale, corresponding to 10-minute sustained wind speeds of >107 kn for Cat 5, 86-107 kn for Cat 4, and 64-85 kn for Cat 3), or

• Category 3, 4, or 5 while making landfall in Fiji.

Each time RSMC Nadi produces a tropical cyclone track forecast, it will be evaluated to determine whether the trigger conditions have been met. The framework incorporates a two-stage trigger activation process, ensuring the timely allocation of resources and assistance delivery to vulnerable communities within the forecasted path of the cyclone.

Assistance packages have been designed by UN agencies in collaboration with relevant ministries. They include multi-purpose cash assistance, hygiene and sanitation kits, shelter-strengthening kits, clean delivery kits for vulnerable pregnant women, dignity kits and supplies for farmers and fishermen to protect their resources. Additionally, early warning messages with instructions on how to prepare for the cyclone will be disseminated. These assistance packages will be given to different groups of people in the forecasted cyclone path based on their vulnerabilities. This happens before the cyclone hits, so families can prepare and stay safe.

UN agencies involved in the pilot project include the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The anticipatory activities will be implemented also through relevant ministries, local NGOs and the Fiji Red Cross.