Honiara – The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology launched a new project to strengthen resilience to disaster and climate change related fragility in Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands is regularly ranked as having one of the highest disaster risks worldwide, and over the past 15 years, disasters have displaced an estimated 26,000 people. Of these, two-thirds were displaced by weather-related hazards such as floods, storms and cyclones.

Moreover, since 1993, sea-levels have risen by an average of 8 to 10 mm per year, far above the global average. The country's National Security Strategy recognizes climate change as "the number one global security risk facing Solomon Islands".

Funded by KOICA and implemented by IOM, the project “Strengthening Resilience Against Disaster and Climate Change Related Fragility in Solomon Islands” will contribute towards addressing disaster and climate change related vulnerability and will strengthen both national and community resilience.

In partnership with the Government of Solomon Islands, IOM will support provinces at risk of disaster displacement with improved equipment, infrastructure, and operational response capacity to prevent, respond to and recover from both slow and sudden onset disaster and displacement shocks.

The project will also strengthen national preparedness to respond to slow-onset disasters, in particular by supporting the operationalization of the country’s Planned Relocation Guidelines – through development of Standard Operating Procedures for planned relocation, capacity-building for relevant government officials, and awareness-raising with at-risk communities.

Finally, the project will support the development of improved communication and education resources on climate change and human mobility, so that globally, nationally and locally, stakeholders and communities have a more accurate understanding of the impacts of climate change in Solomon Islands.

The project launch in Honiara was attended by Stanley Festus Sofu, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Kapchae Ra, Country Director of the KOICA Fiji Office, Stanley Waleanisia, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey, and Ashley Carl, who heads the IOM Office in Canberra and serves as IOM’s Coordinator and Advisor for the Pacific.

In a keynote address delivered at the launch, Minister Sofu underlined the vulnerability of Solomon Islands, and the importance of understanding how to prepare for and respond to disaster risks.  

"Solomon Islands is one of the most environmentally fragile countries in the world," he said. "We are highly vulnerable to both hydrometeorological and geophysical disasters that include cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanoes, as well as the slow onset impacts of climate change. There are communities in every province of the Solomon Islands that are vulnerable to climate and disaster related displacement."

The USD4.75M project will run for three years (2022-2024) with activities implemented at the national level, as well as in Isabel, Western and Temotu Provinces. 

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For more information, please contact: Nathalie Hanley, Email: nhanley@iom.int