Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19: Updates

Regional COVID-19 taskforce targets next steps in Humanitarian Pathway

Friday 9th April, 2021— A virtual regional taskforce meeting under the Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 today considered global and regional updates on COVID-19, including vaccines and the COVAX facility from the World Health Organisation and the Pacific Community. The Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19, the PHP-C, was set up in 2020 as the regional response mechanism to the pandemic. The regional taskforce, which includes the Joint Incident Management Team (JIMT), was established to oversee the implementation of the PHP-C. The regional taskforce works closely with the Forum Officials Committee and reports directly to a Ministerial Action Group which was also established in 2020 to provide political oversight for the PHP-C initiative.

Chaired by Tuvalu’s Secretary to Government, Dr Tapugao Falefou, the RTF meeting today also considered potential pathways to utilise the PHP-C to facilitate dialogue on quarantine free travel in the region. The feedback from Members on this paper will help shape the collective approach for the Forum moving forward.

Regional Task force members also considered a status update from the Pacific Air Service led by the UN World Food Program which has delivered over 221,000  kg of health and humanitarian cargo and 111 technical personnel across the region.–ENDS

Message from the Secretariat

April 22, 2020–The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency of unprecedented scale, posing extreme danger to the health and security of our Pacific people. Never before has a crisis impacted so directly on all 18 Members of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Pacific Island countries have taken proactive and strong measures to protect their people and prevent the spread of COVID-19 including enacting ‘states of emergency’ and stringent border and travel restrictions. In some cases, these measures are restricting the movement of medical and humanitarian supplies, equipment and personnel by the World Health Organisation and other regional and international actors.

Pacific Islands Forum Leaders have invoked the Biketawa Declaration to respond to COVID-19, as one Blue Pacific family. The Biketawa Declaration provides the regional framework for responding to Member states’ request for assistance in times of crisis.

A Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 (PHP-C) has been established to enable efficient movement of medical supplies, humanitarian assistance and technical experts to Pacific Island Forum states. The first delivery of medical supplies arrived through the PHP-C in Fiji on April 21. The personal protective equipment will be distributed in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and French Polynesia by the WHO.