Disaster Waste Management in the Pacific

On 15 Jan 2022, the Kingdom of Tonga was violently impacted by a volcanic eruption and tsunami that devastated the country.

Here is a documentary that highlights the efforts of Tonga in handling waste generated by the disaster. The video showcases powerful testimonies from various individuals who participated in this collective effort and it offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by the community and the resilience shown in overcoming them.

Participants from various Pacific countries have benefitted from a virtual Disaster Waste Management workshop designed to allow them to share experiences and lessons learned in disaster waste management. The workshop, which was held on 8 December 2022, was organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the ‘Committing to Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific’ (SWAP) project in collaboration with the J-PRISM II Project and the PacWaste Plus Programme.

The workshop brought together speakers from Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, and 18 participants were able to learn about preparedness for minimizing disaster waste generation and were informed on the safe handling and storage of disaster waste. They also learned the importance of collaboration and coordination in managing disaster waste and the need for effective planning and preparedness.

SPREP’s Director of Waste Management and Pollution, Mr. Anthony Talouli, highlighted the importance of the workshop, stating that "the impact of disasters to our GDP is very significant as it can set us back billions of dollars every year in terms of development, so the significance of the workshop is very high."

The workshop was structured into three sessions, with the first session introducing documents with a regional scope such as the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific and the Disaster Waste Management Guideline. The second session focused on national activities in Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, and the third session focused on sharing knowledge on how to strengthen good practices.

You can find more information on the workshop on the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) SWAP Project website, and a video recording of the workshop can be found on their YouTube page.

The frequency and intensity of natural disasters in the Pacific are increasing. In addition to the significant risks to property and people directly caused by disasters, these events can generate a significant amount of waste which in turn can impact the health, the economy and, or the environment.

To discuss how Pacific Islands have coped with managing disaster waste through lessons-learnt and experiences, SPREP, through the AFD-funded SWAP project, the JICA-funded J-PRISM II project and the EU-funded PacWaste Plus Programme, will be conducting a Virtual Workshop on Disaster Waste Management “Knowledge sharing from the Pacific islands”.

When: 8 December - 1 PM Apia/Auckland time UTC+13
Register here: https://lnkd.in/gNCsemDx
More information: https://lnkd.in/g8zZGDFi
Available in English and French.

Join us for a partner event on enhancing the resiliency of the Pacific islands on Disaster Waste Management to enable timely and effective response during emergencies and disasters. This Partner Event is organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) implemented and European Union funded PacWastePlus Programme and will be held at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction Conference.

The event is in partnership with the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries, Phase II (JPRISM II project), Tonga Department of Environment and the Vanuatu Department of Environment Protection and Conservation. Opening remarks by Honourable Dr Saia Piukala, Minister for Health, and head of the Tonga delegation to the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

You can also join us via Zoom online:
https://sprep.zoom.us/j/99726351814?pwd=d0VyajlDOS9xaW9IRGdzZzVVbC81dz09
Meeting ID: 997 2635 1814
Passcode: 729772

The 2022 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) will be held in Brisbane, Australia, from 19 to 22 September 2022.

For further information

Please contact – Ms. Sainimili Bulai on [email protected]
Or visit us at the Conference Exhibition Space – Booth 15

#ResilientPacific #APMCDRR #ResilienceForAll #DisasterWaste

Hi everyone! Very happy to join this group and look forward to discussing this important topic! It was while on assignment to Niue, working on Niue's National Implementation Plan, that I saw first hand the impact of natural disasters, and disaster waste first hand. I was told Cyclone Heta took the roof off close to all the houses, as 300km/hour winds battered the rock of Polynesia. So many development gains lost in just a few hours, and years of clean up afterwards. Very much looking forward to learning from colleagues about this issue, and how we manage disaster waste more sustainably.