Regional Disaster Risk Reduction: Is there a Pacific Way?

• Date: 01 June 2020

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REGIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION:

IS THERE A PACIFIC WAY?

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Abstract

e 2015 Sendai Fra mework for Disa ster Risk Redu ction has re-a rmed the global

importance of D RR in the early years of the 21st ce ntury. Alongside a glob al recognition of

its importan ce, regional approach es to DRR have now become co mmonplace. is art icle

examines this ph enomenon in a South Pacif‌ic c ontext and critically ana lyses the limited

regional fram ework that currently exist s.

In common with regi onalism generally, di saster co-operati on in the South Pacif‌ic has

been underta ken primarily through s oft law frameworks sp onsored by the Pacif‌ic Isl ands

Forum (notably the Fram ework for Resilient Deve lopment in the Pacif‌ic). ese in clude a

signif‌icant ro le for donors (including th e metropolitan memb ers of the Forum) and NGOs.

As well as its use of s oft law instr uments, the Pacif‌ic “mode l” is notable for it s exclusive

focus on the devel opment of resilience within in dividual states rather than reg ional co-

operation. I n addition, th ose South Pacif‌i c regional model s developed to enh ance co-

operation in th e f‌ield (notably the FRENZ arrangem ent) are notable for th e exclusion of

Pacif‌ic Island states.

e article exa mines this “Pac if‌ic Way” of DRR in the conte xt of other regional

examples. It conc ludes by quest ioning whether re gional DRR law i n the South Pacif‌i c

represents a tr uly Pacif‌ic Way in the f‌ield or is yet an other instance of global n orms being

implemented through “transmission belt” regionalism.

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Risk Reduction

Disast er risk and its reduc tion have become an incr easing focus of int ernational

law and governa nce in the pa st decades. Bot h in the Paci f‌ic and globa lly th is has

seen the development of int ernation al fra meworks, guideli nes and in stitut ions

* Professor of L aw, University of Cant erbury. This art icle incorporates r esearch undert aken as

part of a New Z ealand E uropea n Union Centre s Network proje ct into comp arative r egional

disast er response in the Asi a-Pacif‌ic region. The aut hor is grateful for t he f‌inanci al support

provided by t he Europea n Commis sion without w hich thi s project would not h ave been possi ble.

The author a lso wishes to tha nk Professor Ki rsten Bookmi ller, Dr Katja Samu el and Dr Karen

Grant for the ir comments on ea rlier versions of p aper. The tradit ional discl aimer applies .