1
Protection Cluster
Samoa Tsunami 2009
Lessons & Recommendations
Partners
Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT)
UNICEF
UNHCR
OHCHR
Save the Children
Indirect agencies
Pacific Humanitarian
Protection Group (PHPG)
Samoa
Samoan Red Cross
SUNGO
Samoan Victim Support
Mapusaga o Aiga
Government:
Ministry of WCSD
MoH, NHS
NZ MoH
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Areas of focus
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Displacement - durable solutions
–
Early recovery assesment and planning activities
•
Access to services and equal distribution of relief items
–
Varying results depending on displaced location
•
Child protection and psycho social support
–
Government led psycho social taskforce
•
Mainstreaming
–
Protection guidelines, checklists for work in other
sectors
Lessons learned
•
Assessment and analysis
–
More detailed exploration of vulnerability and
registration with local NGOs and Government
–
Difficulty in establishing protection needs when “main”
IASC focus is on early recovery
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Cluster preparedness
–
Protection toolkits, manuals, etc to be available for use
across clusters
–
Identification of local counterpart agencies & NGOs is
vital
–
Utilising UN agencies with Government links was a plus
3
Lessons learned
•
Cluster capacity (PHT members)
–
Those deployed should remain for 2-4 weeks (typically)
–
Guidence is needed on durability of protection focus
beyond the cluster operational period
–
Protection advocacy needed by donors to country
recipient (principles of good donorship)
•
Partner capacity
–
Establishing links with local NGO's critical to quickly
acting on protection needs
–
Protection issues awareness needs strengthening at
country level
Protection: Recommendations
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For PHPG
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Establish preparedness and response plan for region –
supported by individual country plans that support
National Plans.
–
Preparedness to include engagement with counterpart
ministries and NGO's
–
Capacity building scheduled for country focal points
including Red Cross
–
Donor engagement: strengthening protection
awareness and application of protection principles
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For Government and IASC recommendations, and for Samoa
next steps please refer to protection cluster response report
