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Table of Contents
Ministers Foreword
Cabinet Decision
1. POLICY OBJECTIVES

1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. KEY THEMATIC PRIORITIES
1.
2.
3.
4.

Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance

National Information Management and Communication
Strengthening National and Local Self-Reliance
Funding, Financial Management and Monitoring

1. FIJI CLUSTER SYSTEM

1. DISASTER ASSISTANCE IN THE PACIFIC
1. COMMENCEMENT
Ministers Foreword
In February 2016, TC Winston widely devastated a nation and thousands of communities that
had not yet fully recovered from the natural disaster brought by TC Evans in November 2012. In
the few years between these two tropical cyclones, Fiji experienced near drought conditions for
over 3 years, several other cyclones and seasonal floods, and a number of earthquake-related
tsunami alerts.
Together, these events have forced this government to the realization that climate change is
already happening, and disasters are the new norm. If the people of Fiji are to remain strong and
safe in the face of certain environmental threats, the Fiji government and the Fiji people must
change.
The way we live must change. We must address the risks of natural disaster by reducing,
mitigating, transferring, accepting or living with them. Governance structures, systems,
processes and attitudes must change, and responsibility must be carried by individuals,
communities, and the nation. It is a collective responsibility.
We must change the way we do development, advocate on environmental issues, and ensure
that development is sustainable. We must change agricultural processes and crop selection, as
well as attitudes of people to ensure that households invest in stronger household structures.
We must improve the way we cooperate, domestically and internationally.
This will all come at a cost, it will be expensive, but it is absolutely necessary to invest in disaster
risk reduction. There are many issues to be addressed, but excellence must be pursued.

Fiji is therefore adopting the post-TC Winston Disaster Response Agenda to transform adversity
into disaster and climate resilience through the:
i. National Humanitarian Policy, to institutionalize humanitarian practices;
ii. National Fiji Cluster System, endorsed in a national guideline manual;
iii. Medium-Term Programme for strengthening humanitarian capacities.
As the first part of the Agenda, this National Humanitarian Policy is the outcome of wide
consultation with national stakeholders from Government, private sector, CSOs, FBOs, NGOs and
communities, as well as international humanitarian partners and donors.
I am certain that this Policy will provide support and guidance as we work collectively to
strengthen Fijis capacity to and to move from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention.
Hon. Minister for Rural & Maritime Development &
National Disaster Risk Management
1. POLICY OBJECTIVES
Govern all aspects of humanitarian response within the national disaster risk management cycle
- including preparedness, disaster readiness, disaster risk reduction, emergency response,
recovery, rehabilitation, reconstruction, contingency planning, capacity building, education and
awareness and to create links with Fijis development and climate change initiatives.
Fulfill the Republic of Fijis sovereign and primary responsibility to initiate, organise, coordinate,
and implement all aspects of disaster risk management and humanitarian response on its
territory;
Strengthen and reinforce national, institutional, community and individual capacity, resilience,
self-reliance and inclusiveness over the medium-term and long-term by addressing key thematic
priorities;
Coordinate humanitarian response at all government levels through the Fiji Cluster System, with
clear stakeholder roles and responsibilities, accountability, monitoring and reporting in
accordance with Fiji laws, policies, and nationally applicable standards in the inclusive spirit of
partnership;
Establish funding mechanisms are available to strengthen all phases of the national disaster risk
management cycle;
Promote Fiji as a leader in Disaster Risk Management in the Pacific Island Region.

2.0

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Policy aligns with national laws, policies, guidelines, and international commitments
including the following:
a. Fiji Constitution, and the Bill of Rights contained therein;
a. National Disaster Management Act 1998 and National Disaster Management Plan 1995 (which
will be revised in late 2016 and for which revision this Policy will provide the framework);
a. National social welfare policies, including policies on gender, disability, vulnerability, child
protection, discrimination, poverty-alleviation;
a. National environmental and climate change policies, including A Green Growth Framework
for Fiji;
a. International obligations and commitments; and
a. Other relevant sectoral government policies and guidelines.
3.0

KEY THEMATIC PRIORITIES

The following thematic priorities, identified by the TC Winston National Lessons Learnt, will form
the basis of government, cluster and humanitarian stakeholder focus to strength the Fiji Disaster
Risk Management system.
1.

Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance

a. Develop Guidelines for the Fiji Cluster System to clarify roles, responsibilities and interactions
of organisations providing humanitarian assistance, including the Fiji Government at all
levels, the NDMO, national NGOs and faith-based organisations, and communities;
a. Establish permanent Cluster Secretariats within Ministries to ensure continuity based on
local knowledge and experience throughout the entire DRM cycle, and to align and
complement Cluster coordination with government priorities to address DRM, climate
change and development objectives;

a. Register organisations providing humanitarian assistance and ensure they participate in

humanitarian coordination mechanism at the appropriate level;
a. Agree Fiji Cluster System Work Plans to identify, fund and implement disaster risk
management priorities appropriate to operational modes during the diverse phases of the
DRM cycle, and for the complete range of disaster risks (including cyclone, floods, tsunami,
drought, and earthquakes), and to create links with development and climate change
initiatives;
a. Clarify the roles of business, bi-lateral, regional and international organisations in relation to
the Fiji Cluster System;
3.2

National Information Management and Communication

a. Establish a national DRM data base within the Ministry of Lands (Fiji Lands Department) as
the central government repository and public information platform for all DRM data,
information and GIS mapping;
a. Engage ongoing human resource capacity to analyse information and present reports
relevant to assessments, planning and monitoring of DRM and humanitarian coordination;
a. Enhance coordination of community messaging and education on DRM and humanitarian
assistance through the Communications Cluster;
a. Examine and improve national systems to effectively exchange real-time information
between NDMO, government at all levels, communities, and clusters for public messaging
and community inputs to DRM;
a. Devise and implementing systems for conducting joint assessments, monitoring and
reporting, and sharing of information and reports through the central government repository.
3.3

Strengthening National and Local Self-Reliance

a. Mainstream DRM through all Ministries and expand the pool of specifically qualified national
professionals to address the Key Thematic Priorities across the different government levels;
a. Promote qualifications in Disaster Risk Management in Fijis higher education institutions,
and ensure employees in DRM positions are suitably qualified;
a. Actively encourage inclusiveness, protection, and empowerment of more vulnerable

community members to build their resilience and self-sufficiency;

a. Ensure humanitarian standards adopted and applied are specifically relevant to Fiji;
a. Ensure reliable early warning systems, contingency planning, infrastructure, supplies and
systems are readily available for emergencies;
a. Promote the concept of Building National Capacity First in all humanitarian assistance and
encourage the development of local self-reliance of individuals, communities and
institutions.
3.4

Funding, Financial Management and Monitoring

a. Ensure dedicated government funding for Key Thematic Priorities to address all phases of the
Disaster Risk Management cycle at all government levels;
a. Clarify funding options with regional, international and bi-lateral donors to complement the
overall aims of the government-led Fiji Cluster System;
a. Review disaster response fund mechanism to enhance financial management transparency,
accountability and monitoring for all humanitarian donors;
4.0

FIJI CLUSTER SYSTEM

The Fiji Cluster system is envisaged as an on-going government-led system for coordination of
national and international humanitarian assistance for all aspects of disaster risk management,
and will be incorporated into national legislation. It will complement and enhance other
government objectives and initiatives for disaster risk reduction, development and climate
change.
An Inter-Cluster mechanism will hold responsibility for overall coordination of nine sectoral
clusters. Each Cluster will operate under the leadership of the Permanent Secretary of an
appropriate Ministry, and coordinated by a permanent Cluster Officer who is directly responsible
to the Permanent Secretary. Funding for Cluster priorities, administration, staff employment and
training will be incorporated into and funded under the Annual Corporate Plan.
Roles, responsibilities, and priorities of each Cluster will be determined through wide
consultation and government approval. The number of Clusters and their roles may evolve over
time as disaster risk management and humanitarian priorities change.

Cluster coordination will apply to all stakeholders providing humanitarian response within the
disaster risk management framework, including stakeholders from government, national NGO
and Faith-Based Organisations, business, and international organisations.

5.0

DISASTER ASSISTANCE IN THE PACIFIC REGION

The Fiji Government stands ready to collaborate to the best of its capacity with Pacific Island
neighbours on any aspect of humanitarian assistance and disaster risk management, and aims to
assume a leadership role in DRM within the Pacific Island Region.
6.0

COMMENCEMENT

This policy will be effective from the date of Cabinet approval.

Emergency Numbers
Fire

917

Police

911

Ambulance

919

NDMO

3319250

Mineral Resources Department

3381611

Fiji Metereological Office

6724888

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