Regional Disaster Risk Reduction: Is there a Pacific Way?

AuthorW John Hopkins
PositionProfessor of Law, University of Canterbury
Pages21-34
21
REGIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION:
IS THERE A PACIFIC WAY?

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.

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 .

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