The Disaster Risk Management: Recommended Actions for the Public Administration Sector has been finalised.
A multi sector approach has called for shared responsibility and positions the sector like the Public Administration Sector (PAS) in the driver’s seat to mainstream DRM and building resilience across the PAS.
As noted “The Recommended Actions for Disaster Resilience in the Public Administration Sector is aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and other global and regional agreements including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Pacific Regional Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Small Islands Development States Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A.) Pathway and with our National Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS).”
The main purpose of the Disaster Risk Management: Recommended Actions for the Public Administration Sector is to enhance knowledge, abilities and capacities at all levels for disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery within the Public Administration Sector in Samoa.
Its objectives are:
- To strengthen disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery within the Public Administration Sector;
- To articulate and integrate PAS contribution to the National DRM Framework, linked to the Sendai Framework, the National Disaster Management Plan 2016-2019 and the DRM National Action Plan 2016-2021;
- To mainstream DRM across the Public Administration Sector Plan 2013/14 – 2017/18 and promote cross-sector collaboration;
- To provide PAS with an initial framework to strengthen skills and increase capacities to effectively provide DRM-related and resilience-based knowledge and services to its’ staff and stakeholders;
- To contribute to better coordination between the key stakeholders engaged in DRM at national level (through the DAC and the National Disaster Resilience Platform) and at local level (through existing structures), and
- To assist in the formulation of “GESI-sensitive” DRM policies, legislation and procedures to ensure attention to cross-cutting issues.
The Recommended Actions advocate a comprehensive approach to risk management that factors risk considerations into all PAS planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes and it includes:
- Prevention of adverse impacts and disasters;
- Avoidance of adverse impacts of hazards and disasters;
- Mitigation to lessen or limit adverse impacts;
- Preparedness and being vigilant at all times, and
- Responsiveness, through implementation and monitoring of the PAS DRM Strategy.
The Recommended Actions aims to strengthen the role of the Public Service Commission through its Public Administration Sector Coordination Division as the lead implementing agency for the PAS and a key partner in effective DRM. It also aims to build capacity for DRM across the whole of the sector for more effective disaster risk reduction.
Moreover, the Recommended Actions promote partnerships, collaboration and “whole-of-society” engagement and also supports gender equity and social inclusion as critical cross cutting issues and recognizes the essential role that all members of a community play in effective DRM.
The development of this Recommended Actions for Disaster Resilience in the Public Administration Sector involved a review of global, regional and national DRM literature as well as consultation between the office of the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment through its Disaster Management Office and key PAS stakeholders within and outside of the Public Service Commission through a series of interactive workshops held in late August 2016 and was re-affirmed in March 2017.
