The European Commission today signed an agreement for FJD$20 million to reduce the vulnerability to natural disasters and to build the resilience in eight Pacific Island Countries including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Palau and Nauru.

At a ceremony held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat the new Representative and Head of the European Commission (EC) Delegation for the Pacific, Mr Wiepke Van der Goot, signed the agreement with the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Mr. Greg Urwin, and the Director of the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), Ms. Cristelle Pratt.

SOPAC will assist Pacific Island communities through this multi-country project, to build emergency communications and emergency operations centres and increase the access to safe drinking water in preparation for periods of drought.

Mr. van der Goot highlighted the importance of the project saying it would benefit the Pacific region which is increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters and droughts under the influence of climate change because of their unique economic, social and environmental characteristics.

"The geographic and geological setting of the Pacific ACP States makes them particularly vulnerable to a wide range of natural hazards including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, and especially those related to climate change, climate variability and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. This project aims to help countries reduce the damaging effects of these risks".

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that most regions in the world, and especially those in the developing world, will be increasingly affected by climate change stimulating an increase in extreme weather events.

"Developing countries will be the hardest hit by the effects of climate change and therefore need our help to mitigate climate change and natural disasters", Mr van der Goot said.

Signing the new project on behalf of the eight countries Mr. Urwin acknowledged the support provided by the European Union.

"It is a timely intervention that will improve Pacific Island Countries...’ ability to prepare for disasters and to manage, mainly through better infrastructure, the many natural hazards affecting the region."

Mr Urwin said that this agreement would help countries better deal with hazards such as tropical cyclones with associated storm surges, flooding, landslides and drought. "Climate change poses the greatest environmental challenge of the 21st Century. We are happy to have the European Union as partners in this effort".

Ms Pratt said "The multi-country project offers participating countries an opportunity to address specific, priority areas in respect of building their resilience to extreme natural events and goes some way to addressing their efforts toward reducing and managing disaster risk." SOPAC, 14/12/07.