Government of Cook Islands launch Country Preparedness Package with Pacific Humanitarian Team

Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 26 April 2018

The Emergency Management Office of the Government of Cook Islands in partnership with the Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT) today launched the Country Preparedness Package (CPP) for the Cook Islands. The CPP is intended to strengthen preparedness and collaboration between national and international actors in disaster preparedness and response.

“Cook Islands is prone to natural disasters and is also vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The finalization of the CPP ensures that we are better prepared for future disasters and will act as a useful, living and reference document for both national and international actors that will guide better preparedness and response”, said Bredina Drollet, Chief of Staff, Prime Minister’s office.

The CPP for the Cook Islands, has been developed with the support of the United Nations Development Program, Disaster Resilience in the Pacific (RESPAC) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on behalf of the PHT.

The development process included a one-week in country consultation and bilateral meetings conducted with all key stakeholders involved in disaster preparedness and response. This was followed by the ongoing gathering of information from all key partners including feedback and reviews and with the endorsement of the Emergency Management Office that led to the finalization of the CPP.

“The PHT appreciates the leadership of the Cook Islands in the CPP process, reflecting the importance of preparedness, national structures and better collaboration during disaster responses. This means that that international actors can better support the Cook Islands to lead its response during disasters”, said Anne Colquhoun, OCHA Pacific Head of Office and co - chair of the PHT.

UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Country Director and Head of Regional Programme and Policy, Bakhodir Burkhanvov said, “We recognize the need to strengthen a country’s capabilities to manage the disaster recovery process at the national and local level.

“The Cook Islands CPP is an example of a collaboration of efforts from stakeholders, both government and private sector, to identify and support appropriate actions to improve resilience and build partnerships for effective disaster response and recovery.

He added, “The support from UNDP through the Russian-funded RESPAC project is relevant with its role to prepare and plan mechanisms and tools to effectively manage disaster recovery processes at regional, national and local level.”

The CPP has been developed in partnership with the government and outlines the existing national structure to ensure better awareness to international actors as part of preparedness while at the same time national actors also become aware of international tools and services that can be activated during a disaster. It includes 22 sections reflecting sectors and processes through which response is channeled or communicated following a disaster, ensuring better coordination.

The Cook Islands CPP is the third CPP to be launched in the Pacific following the Republic of Marshall Islands and Vanuatu. It is divided into three components; national arrangements, support arrangements and reference information.

CPP Cook Islands can be found on this link:
https://reliefweb.int/report/cook-islands/cook-islands-country-preparedness-package

For further information, please contact:
Lydia Sijp, Emergency Management Cook Islands, Office of the Prime Minister, Cook Islands, Email: lydia.sijp@cookislands.gov.ck
Phone: +682 29609, Mobile +682 77245
Sevuloni R. Ratu, Public Information Officer, UN OCHA Office of the Pacific, Suva, Fiji, Email: ratu@un.org, Phone: +679 331 6760,
Mobile: +679 9990021