1

 Inter-Agency Contingency Planning Workshop  

for Humanitarian Assistance in Vanuatu 

 

Brief Concept Note 

 
 

 
Background: 

Humanitarian assistance in the Pacific has proven complex. The region is characterized 
by a high degree of disaster risk, the vast ocean mass, small and scattered population 
numbers on vulnerable small islands and national and local response capacity that is 
obviously quickly overwhelmed by forces of nature. International humanitarian 
organizations (UN agencies, NGO’s, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, regional 
and bilateral organizations) are each faced with the challenge to respond from a regional 
capacity to a localized humanitarian need. In addition, coordination is an additional 
challenge as these regional responders operate from different locations in the Pacific (e.g. 
Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Auckland, Wellington, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Honolulu, 
New Caledonia) to support national counterparts in Pacific Island Countries.  

The international humanitarian community, through the Inter-Agency Standing 
Committee (IASC), in 2005 agreed on a process of Humanitarian Reform seeking to 
improve the effectiveness of humanitarian response by ensuring greater predictability, 
accountability and partnership. It is an ambitious effort by the international humanitarian 
community to reach more beneficiaries, with more comprehensive needs-based relief and 
protection, in a more effective and timely manner. Improved inter-agency coordination 
and emergency preparedness are an important part of this effort. A triggering event in the 
Pacific was 2007’s Solomon Islands Tsunami, which highlighted the challenges and 
importance in preparedness to launch an effective, and predictable, humanitarian relief 
operation in a Pacific Island Country following a significant disaster event.  

As a result, in July 2008, with the leadership of UN Office for the Coordination of 

Humanitarian Affairs-Pacific (OCHA), the UN Multi Country Teams based in Fiji and 
Samoa held a Regional Contingency Planning Workshop for Humanitarian Assistance in 
the Pacific region. The key outcome of the workshop were establishment of the Pacific 
Humanitarian Team and a Pacific cluster approach in which key regional humanitarian 
response partners participate (including UN agencies, NGO and donors). It is expected 
that this Pacific cluster approach will contribute to improve effectiveness, predictability 
and timeliness of international assistance in the region.  

 
It was also agreed at the above mentioned workshop that in order for the Pacific 

Cluster Framework to effectively compliment each Pacific Island Country’s national 
disaster management arrangements and adjust to specific country context, country level 
contingency planning workshops should be held in the most disaster prone countries.  

 
 

 

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Workshop Objectives: 
The  overall objective of the proposed Workshop is to bring together key disaster 
response actors from Government, Red Cross, Donor partners, UN organizations and 
NGOs to review jointly the existing disaster response mechanism both at national and 
regional level, test how effectively the regional cluster approach could support the 
national level disaster response structure through exercise and adjust/review regional 
cluster structure to the specific context in Vanuatu. It is also expected that this workshop 
will enhance the linkages and coordination between regional clusters and corresponding 
governmental ministries/agencies and identify action points for (minimum) levels of 
preparedness. 
 
The specific objectives of the Exercise (Day 2) are: 
 

a)

 

To demonstrate the ability to set priorities and identify major tasks, functions 
and operations in response to a disaster, 

b)

 

To examine how some of the key emergency services would function during 
an emergency,  

c)

 

To test how national and international actors can effectively coordinate in 
order to provide timely and appropriate response in each sector 

d)

 

To feed back concrete suggestions to the third day de-briefing session in order 
to agree upon a disaster response framework and minimum preparedness 
activities in Vanuatu and plan for the next steps. 

 
 
Exercise Scenario: 
Tropical Cyclone affecting SANMA and MALAMPA Provinces 
 
 
Expected Outcome: 
 

1

 

Status of Readiness: Readiness for response is increased in the event of an 
actual impact on routine operations. 

2

 

Gaps: Procedural and decision-making gaps as well as gaps in response 
actions are identified. 

3

 

Conflicts: Conflicts - if any, within departments and Ministries, amongst key 
stakeholders along with interpretation of procedures and roles – are revealed. 

4

 

Role Clarity: Roles and responsibilities between actors are confirmed. 

5

 

Resource Requirements: Resource needs are identified. 

6

 

Information management: Information and data needs for decision-making 
and action are identified 

7

 

Emergency Services: Effectiveness of existing emergency services is tested. 

8

 

Common understandings: All key stakeholders in disaster response will have 
common understandings on needs, gaps and steps forward to improve 
response mechanism. 

9

 

Training: Additional training needs are identified. 

 

3

10

 

Regional cluster approach revision: Inform on potential modifications of and 
improvements to the regional cluster approach as well as the contingency plan 
are identified following lessons learned from the Exercise, which could guide 
regional cluster lead agencies to further organize and plan their next 
(minimum) preparedness actions. 

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National Disaster Management Arrangement: Inform on potential 
improvement to the national disaster management arrangement following 
lessons learned from the Exercise, which could guide national agencies to 
further organize and plan their next (minimum) preparedness actions. 

 
 
 
Workshop Time-Frame: Total 3 days: 
 
Day-1: Pre-exercise workshop to ensure that all parties understand and are informed of 
current disaster trends in Vanuatu, key response actors both at national and regional level, 
the national disaster response structure as well as the regional cluster approach. 
Participants will discuss the disaster history of Vanuatu and its implications on 
humanitarian needs and required responses and subsequently on planning assumptions 
and the need for coordination and information management.  
 
Day-2: Conduct of Exercise 
 
Day-3: Exercise debrief, lessons learned, next steps, follow up actions