Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a culturally and linguistically diverse nation of 83 volcanic and coral islands in the South Pacific, located 1,750km east of northern Australia and 1,200km west of Fiji. Around 80% of Vanuatu’s population of 299,882 people (World Bank, 2019) live in rural areas where subsistence livelihoods and traditional community welfare obligations provide an informal social safety net. Vanuatu has one of the highest population growth rates in the region, with growing demand for public services.

The Secretary Antonio Guterres with Women Market Vendors in Port Vila, Vanuatu
Caption: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks with women market vendors in Port Vila during his Pacific Trip in 2019

Overall, basic needs poverty is decreasing, however there are indications that hardship is growing for vulnerable groups, particularly in Luganville, the country’s second largest city. Vanuatu is currently defined as a Least Developed Country, and is scheduled for graduation to Developing Country status in 2020. Vanuatu has been successful in achieving consistent economic growth, with a reliance on tourism, construction, and development assistance infrastructure projects. Over half of Ni-Vanuatu are under 25 years old and there are high rates of unemployment.

Vanuatu is considered the world’s most at-risk nation to natural disasters. In 2015, Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam, one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit Vanuatu, caused widespread damage to 22 islands and 166,000 people (two thirds of the population) required urgent humanitarian assistance; followed by TC Harold in 2020. Severe weather events are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change and threaten the social and economic progress of Vanuatu.

Vanuatu has a mixed record on promoting gender equality, despite ratifying The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. There are very low levels of women’s representation in national, provincial, and municipal government, with no women national Members of Parliament. Labour force participation and access to post-secondary training are lower for women in urban and rural areas, and land tenure is patrilineal. Almost two thirds of women report experience of some form of gender-based violence.

UN presence in Vanuatu

The UN has been present in Vanuatu since 1984, with 18 agencies implementing programs: FAO, IAEA, IFAD, ILO, IOM, UNCDF, UNCTAD, UNDP, UN Environment, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNISDR, UNOCHA, UN Women, WFP, WHO and WMO.

Development goals and objectives 

The United Nations Pacific Sustainable Development Framework 2023-2027 is a five year strategic framework that outlines the collective response of the UN system to the development priorities in 14 Pacific Island countries and territories, including Vanuatu, and supports governments and peoples in the Pacific to advance a localised response to the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UN Pacific Sustainable Development Framework complements the Vanuatu 2030: “The People’s Plan”; particularly in the areas of environment and natural resource management, economic development, gender and social inclusion, health, education, water and sanitation, and governance.