Course helps leaders to better manage disaster

United States ambassador Catherine Ebert-Gray recently led the completion ceremony of a project management course designed to help Papua New Guinea leaders build greater cooperation, access international adaptation funds and better manage projects that prevent and mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the country.
The course is USAID’s partnership with the University of the South Pacific to help Pacific Island countries become more environmentally friendly and disaster resilient.
The five-month course helps leaders strengthen their management skills to design and implement disaster resilience projects by managing resources and funds.
Class participants include mid-level managers of government departments, non-government organisations and representatives from the private sector.
“Accessing these resources is just one part of the solution,” Ebert-Gray said.
“To ensure that the available funding is best utilised and that the most vulnerable among us benefit, projects must be well managed and implemented.
“The right people with the right skills are needed if these projects are to be delivered on their promised benefits.”
USAID is rolling out the course in Pacific Island countries.
More than 400 people are expected to participates.
USAID’s five-year Ready project builds the capacity of governments and institutions to develop and implement effective environmental and disaster mitigation policies.
USAID Ready works in 11 Pacific Island countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, PNG, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.