Applying cost-benefit analysis principles to climate change and disaster risk in FSM

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Published on 14 October 2014

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The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has partnered with key agencies in the region to deliver a specialised cost-benefit analysis training workshop for government officials in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.

The workshop took place last week as part of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) - a project that seeks to pilot and demonstrate ways in which climate risk and resilience may be integrated into core development planning and implementation by providing incentives for scaled-up action and initiating transformational change.

Pictured above: Workshop trainers and participants in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia

Organised in response to a request from the Kosrae State Government, the workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of key ministries to apply cost-benefit analysis to development projects, taking into account climate change and disaster risks.

The Governor of Kosrae State, the Hon. Lyndon Jackson was instrumental in facilitating this activity and established a Steering Committee to drive the situation analysis to identify three initiatives that would be the focus of SPREP's work. The other two initiatives are central agency appraisal functions and monitoring and evaluation for decision-makers. Asked about the importance of the workshop Governor Jackson said:

"It is well documented that Kosrae is extremely vulnerable to climate change and disaster risks with most of our people and infrastructure located on the coastal fringe. We have and will continue to experience a lot of flooding, storm surges and coastal erosion. Building local capacity to develop quality proposals that will assist us to effectively address these risks is a priority for my administration and for the people of Kosrae."

Participants at the workshop welcomed the training and the new resources that were made available to them as part of this activity. Mr Alik Isaac, Kosrae State Director of Administration and Finance, explains:

"Since the late 1980s, numerous books and guides have been published to establish a systematic cost-benefit analysis but none of them have included case studies that are relevant to decision-makers in the Pacific. It was good to have a guide with local case studies launched at this workshop."

This PPCR activity is administered by ABD and implemented by SPREP through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of Environment and Environment and Emergency Management in the Federated States of Micronesia. The World Bank and Secretariat of the Pacific Community are also part of the programme that will be assisting Kosrae.

PPCR Project Manager, Luatutu Andre Volentras, welcomed the close collaboration of SPREP, SPC, USP, USAID, UNDP to jointly deliver the cost-benefit analysis training, noting that this was consistent with the PPCR philosophy of building on current development partner initiatives and not taxing the limited absorptive capacity of many Pacific island countries.

The training was carried out by Aaron Buncle, Baljeet Singh, Marco Arena and Markand Bhatt.

Article written by Mr. Andre Volentras.

Adaptation stories from the northern Pacific highlighted in Majuro | Climate Change

News release from SPREP.

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30 September 2014, Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands - Delegates to the 25th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme today had the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of success stories and lessons learned arising from the world class Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) programme.

The PACC programme is the first major climate change adaptation initiative in the Pacific region. Since it began in 2009 the programme has been demonstrating best-practice adaptation in three key climate-sensitive areas: coastal zone management, food security and food production, and water resources management.

With the programme slated to wrap up in the first quarter of 2015, an emphasis for the next six months (aside from evaluation activities) will be on collecting and disseminating the vast array of insights, results and impacts deriving from more than five years of intervention.

While PACC has operated in 14 different Pacific islands, the focus of today's event was on the unique experiences of northern Pacific countries.

PACC Coordinators Joseph Cain and Abraham Simpson presented on the PACC interventions in Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia respectively, painting a comprehensive before and after picture of risks and opportunities.

Mr Peniamina Leavai (right) with Mr Joseph Cain (centre) and Mr Abraham Simpson (left) at today's event.

For Mr Peniamina Leavai, SPREP's Adaptation Planning Officer for PACC, the high level of audience interest and engagement indicated that today's event was a great success. Mr Leavai explains:

"There is a real appreciation that PACC has the capacity to live on through the development of new programmes based on our lessons and best practices. That capacity to address climate change across different sectors - through incorporating risks and trying out resilience measures - was made clear."

"And importantly, it was great to note that almost all of our knowledge management products were picked up by interested parties. It goes to show that exchange of information is valued and that PACC experiences are important in helping us to shape our future programmes and projects."

By way of example, Mr Mosese Sivovou of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) commented at the event that the results, tools and frameworks from the PACC programme are being referred to and used by other resilience projects in the region. The lessons learned from PACC support the effectiveness and relevance of other programmes and ensure that efforts are not duplicated.

Mr Peniamina Leavai presenting at today's PACC side event.

For more information about PACC, please visit http://sprep.org/pacc

The PACC programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility and the Australian Government. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the regional executing agency and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the implementing agency.

Tsunami Training Workshop

A tsunami training workshop was conducted in Kosrae from September 17-19 for Tsunami threat assessment and decision making.  The trainers were Dr. Laura Kong, Director of the International Tsunami Information Center in Honolulu; Mr. Charles "Chip" Guard, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from Guam, Rev. Eden Skilling from the FSM Weather Service and Mr. Nena William as the Disaster Coord ination Officer for the State of Kosrae.

 

FSM PACC personnel joined the other stakeholders to learn about the new Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) messages. These  messages contains the data from earthquakes, which can be used to determine the probability of generating tsunamis and estimated times of arrival.

The PTWC will give the information and each country should evaluate the need to evacuate. Kosrae State will be in contact with the FSM Weather Station in Pohnpei to determine the need to make tsunami warnings. Another tool we got in the training is a software that give us the location, magnitude and depth of the earthquakes, to visualize were it was and the potential to generate a tsunami. With these new products, Kosrae is better prepared to evaluate the need of evacuation  before a tsunami reach the island.

 

From left to right: Mr. Nena William, Dr. Laura Kong, Rev. Eden Skilling and Mr. Chip Guard.

El Nin~o Warning

A chart which shows the current weather conditions of El Nin~o, La Nin~a and Neutral years, has been produced by Coastal Engineer, Mr. Douglas Ramsay. He works for New Zealand's, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. Mr. Ramsay prepares Kosrae tide tables from the data gathered by the FSM PACC meteorological instruments and also updated the Kosrae Shoreline Management plan.

The chart has an arrow showing the strenght of the current state and also the changes expected in terms of rainfall, drought, temperature, typhoon ocurrence, sea level, trade winds and coral bleaching.

This warning can be accessed in kosraecoast.com

Kosrae State Joint Action Plan in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change

A consultation meeting on Disaster Risk Management & Climate Change Adaptation, was held in Kosrae State from August 26 until September 6, 2014.  Consultants from SPC and the National Government Office of Environment & Emergency Management, OEEM; facilitated the consultation. The purpose of this consultation was the collection of inputs from Kosrae stakeholders, and prepare the  Kosrae Joint Sate Action Plan, KJSAP on DRM and CCA.

The KJSAP, will implement National Government policy goals, it is State driven, allows for multiple perspectives by consulting different sectors/stakeholders. The plan aligns with the State, National and Regional approach of integrating disaster and climate risk.

The consultation  was conducted by the Kosrae Disaster Coordinator, Mr. Nena William; SPC consultants, Mrs. Anna Gero and Noah Tokavou  and OEEM’s James Lukan and Cindy Ehmes. The stakeholders consulted included, The Governor’s Cabinet, Government agencies, NGO’s, Municipal leadership, Disable persons, Youth & Women’s Councils, Church leaders and Senior citizens.

 

The final meetings presented the findings from the different sectors consulted. The key hazard most mentioned was the high sea/swells with 17 inputs from a total of 35. Other findings were the gaps in financial & physical capacity, which need to be improved. The island’s capacity on human, social & environment issues fared better.

Kosrae State Governor, Hon. Lyndon Jackson, merged the Kosrae Disaster Coordination Office and the FSM PACC as one office to be consistent to the local CC legislation on December 2013.  The FSM National Climate Change Policy & Disaster Risk reduction was passed by the FSM Congress in September 2013. Kosrae was the first State to held this consultation, the other three states will be next.

 

 

1st Disaster Risk Management Conference.

National Government OEEM Director, Mr. Andrew Yatilman.

The First Disaster Risk Management Conference was held on the Pohnpei’s Governor’s Conference Room, from June 16-20.  Subjects discussed during the conference included: Damage Assessment for households and for communities, Response & Recovery Planning, Early Warning System by the National Weather Service. There were other presentations by the National Government’s Office of Environment and Emergency Management, the NGO’s International Organization for Migration and the Micronesia Red Cross Society. Mr. Simpson Abraham made a presentation about the FSM PACC Project and its achievements. With the rest of the Kosrae’s Delegation, we updated Kosrae State information for the disaster management checklist. The few checklists we prepare will guide the emergency responders to orderly approach the disaster.

Mr. Abraham makes a presentation on the FSM PACC achievements.

Ribbon Cutting and Benediction of Pilot Road.

On May 29,2014; the FSM PACC project had the Ribbon Cutting and Benediction Ceremonies for the completed Pilot Road. The road from Lacl to Lacs in the Tafunsak Municipality, was climate proofed to make it more resilient to the expected increase in rainfall and sea level rise in  the future.

The Ceremonies took place at the entrance of the Pilot road.

 

The activities begun at 9:00 Am with an openning prayer by Rev. Soloman Mongkeya. The Opening remark was done by the Hon. Governor of Kosrae state, Mr. Lyndon Jackson. The guest speakers for the activity were the FSM Vice President, Hon. Alik Alik, SPREP's Deputy Director General, Mr. Kosi Latu. The second prize winners of the Climate Change Song competition, the Rabbit Island Youth Choir, sang to the delight of the people present. Two more remarks were done by Mrs. Sian Nivinson, as Personal Representative for the Australian  Ambassador and the Mayor of Tafunsak , Mr. Jacob George.

 

The Lelu Gospel Choir sang to the public prior to the Blessing of the project by Rev. Takeo Likiaksa. Then the Ribbon Cutting proceeded and afterwards the Benediction  was done by Rev. Livinson Taulung. Also present at the Ceremonies were Mr. Miguel Ordon~ez, from the USA Embassy; Mr. John Palmer from SPC North REP; Mrs. Louise Dutertre from SPC and the FSM Ambassador to Fiji, H.E. Gerson Jackson.

 

 

Ribbon Cutting, from Left to Right: Mr. Nena William, Master of Ceremonies, Mrs. Louise Dutertre, Mr. Kosi Latu, Hon. VP Alik Alik, Hon. Lyndon Jackson, Mr. Jacob George and DT&I 's Director Mr. Weston Luckymis.