FRDP & Pacific Resilience Partnership

Illustration during the 2021 Pacific Resilience Meeting (Illustrator: Arran McKenna)

The Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific or FRDP was approved by Pacific leaders at their meeting in September 2016. The FRDP is the overarching regional framework for climate change and disaster risk management, providing high level voluntary strategic guidance to different stakeholder groups.

It aims to guide and promote coordinated and integrated priorities and approaches for regional, national and community levels that embed risk considerations into sustainable development which ultimately leads to development outcomes that are resilient to climate change and disaster risks.

In endorsing the FRDP, Leaders through the Pohnpei Statement: Strengthening Pacific Resilience to Climate Change and Disaster Risk, called on all development partners, the private sector and civil society to join with Pacific Islands Countries and Territories to support the principles and the implementation of this statement through high-level participation in a new Pacific Resilience Partnership.

The establishment of the inclusive multi-stakeholder Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) to complement the FRDP, reflects concerted efforts to facilitate and increase capacity for a multi-actor response to climate change and disaster risk.

In September 2017, Pacific Leaders approved a set of governance arrangements, on a trial basis for a period of two years, for the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP). In 2019, Leaders further extended the trial period for another year subject to a review on the PRP governance arrangements effectiveness and efficiency with a report back to Leaders in 2020. In 2021, Leaders endorsed the extension of the PRP governance arrangements up to 2030, subject to yearly progress updates on the FRDP and PRP as well as the FRDP Mid Term Review in 2023.

The Pacific Resilience Partnership governance arrangements is made up of:

  1. Support Unit
  2. Taskforce
  3. Technical Working Groups
  4. Biennial Pacific Resilience Meeting

PRP Support Unit – collaboration between PIFS, SPC and SPREP

The PRP Support Unit is a collaborative partnership between PIFS, SPREP and SPC (with the co-opted support from other stakeholders when required) who work collectively to support the efficient and effective functioning of the different elements of the PRP governance arrangements. This includes the Taskforce, the Pacific Resilience Meeting (PRM) and the Technical Working Groups (TWGs). The establishment of the Taskforce in 2018 to synchronize guidance and advice to Leaders, and successfully implement resilient development activities, was a significant step in operationalising the PRP governance arrangements.

The ethos of the PRP, manifested through the PRP Taskforce, is the principle of equal representation of civil society and the private sector alongside government, regional agencies and international and other key partners. The Taskforce comprises of 28 established Members and Alternates.

Outcomes

Some of the progress made to date with regards to the collaborative work through the PRP and partners includes but not limited to:

  • Establishment of the Technical Working Groups (TWGs). Currently there are five TWGs which includes Human Mobility, Information, Knowledge and Management, Disaster Risk Finance, Risk Governance & Localization. The TWG also serve as an expert group or think tank for the specific issues that they are currently addressing and with some countries facing multiple threats through COVID 19 and TC Harold, provide a platform for stakeholders to work as a collective to support national responses. Their diversity in membership is a further testament to the concerted efforts of the Taskforce and Support Unit to facilitate and enable an inclusive multi-actor commitment and engagement to improve resilience building actions. The Working Groups are gaining traction with their work and participation from Forum Member governments and various partners.
  • In February 2021, the TWG on Human Mobility facilitated a Pacific Regional Consultation on Internal Displacement with the UNSG’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement. 14 Pacific governments participated and 10 delivered national statements, including at the CEO/Secretary-level. An outcome of this consultation was the incorporation of inputs and recommendation from the Pacific region in the new High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement’s Report. This is a demonstration of how through the PRP Pacific voice can be elevated and contribute effectively to these global discussions.
  • Securing 2021 FEMM’s endorsement to formalize advisory role of PRP TWG on Disaster Risk Finance.
  • Successful convening of the second Pacific Resilience Meeting (PRM) which was held from 6-8 July 2021 – preceded by a Youth Forum on the 5th July. The meeting showcased Pacific-led resilience actions across multiple sectors and stakeholders inspiring learning and connection across diverse groups of audience across the region and outside of the Pacific. Held under the theme, Our people, Our journey: Nurturing Pacific Resilience from Home, the meeting saw over 1,700 participants tuning in online and through the national hubs in 11 participating Pacific Island Countries on a daily basis. The diversity of the audience reflected the multi-sectoral, diverse and inclusive approaches to resilience building in the Pacific which should continue to be nurtured and enhanced.
  • Review of the efficiency and effectiveness of the PRP and greater alignment of the FRDP to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The review was completed in early June 2020 with the findings that the FRDP is not inconsistent with the Paris Agreement and the PRP poses opportunities for greater coordination and collaboration and that it has already demonstrated positive achievements in this context.
  • The ongoing advocacy of the FRDP and PRP at the national and regional level. An online advocacy for the implementation of the FRDP and for the broadening of its attendant implementation mechanism, the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP), across all Pacific island countries and territories is being progressed at the national level.
  • PRP Monthly Webinar series started in August 2020 and has created ongoing knowledge sharing and learning on good examples and success stories, related to resilience building across the Pacific among climate change and disaster risk management practitioners. As of December 2021, there were ten webinars being facilitated through the PRP Support Unit and PRP partners.
  • FRDP Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Framework: In addition to the PRP mandate of coordinating and facilitating partnerships, it will also assist with measuring progress and facilitation of monitoring and evaluation for the FRDP. This was further reaffirmed through the 2019 Leaders Communique which directed the PRP Taskforce to finalize the M&E Framework by end of 2021. A draft is now in progress.
  • Facilitated three virtual national workshops (Solomon Islands, Tonga and RMI) to test the draft Pacific Resilience Standards (PRS). The PRS have been developed to complement the FRDP. They will help to ensure the greater integrity, effectives, and sustainability of resilient development interventions by building on the 10 Guiding Principles and 3 Goals of the FRDP.
  • A successful Youth Engagement and Advocacy Activities on Climate Change and Resilience under the theme ‘Our Actions Now – Our Future, Our Resilience’ . Over 70 submissions were received across the different categories of activities: Short Video, Drawing, Colouring competition and Poem This initiative was facilitated by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in in collaboration with the PRP) Support Unit and PRP Youth Hub. It recognized the critical role that youths play in terms of resilience actions as well as a means to raise awareness on climate change, disaster risk and broader resilience aspects.

Activities:

  • Ongoing PRP monthly seminars for knowledge sharing and learning. Past webinars recordings, summaries and upcoming events can be found on the PRP Website.
  • Successful convening of the second Pacific Resilience Meeting held in early July 2021. All recorded sessions can be accessed here.
  • Facilitated a successful Youth Engagement and Advocacy activity through art: short videos; drawing, coloring and poem competitions. A virtual Award Ceremony was held on the 10th of August which recognised a total of 20 emerging youth artists, poets, and filmmakers from across the Pacific as winners for the four categories. As part of the prizes for the Top  10 entrants for poem and videos, a capacity building workshop was held in October 2021 to enhance the skills of emerging Pacific young film makers and poets in digital activism tools, to further assist them in advocating for their issues in the digital spaces.
  • Launched of the mapping Report on ‘Humanitarian Action in Action in the Pacific – Towards Strengthening Local Humanitarian Action’ by the Technical Working Group on Localisation. Given the recent impacts of COVID 19, the objective of the mapping survey was two-fold which was tracking of localisation activities and the impact of COVID 19 on humanitarian activities at the national level.

Partners

Supported by DFAT, World Bank Pacific Resilience Program (PREP), the EU Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change and Resilience Building (PACRES) Project, SPC, SPREP, and PRP Partners.