UN releases report on disaster response

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Communicating with Disaster-Affected Communities (CDAC) network has released a report on the status of communication, community engagement, and accountability in humanitarian contexts in Papua New Guinea.
The report titled ‘Yumi Wok Bung Wantaim – We Work Together’ brings together findings of nationwide consultations with key humanitarian stakeholders in PNG’s four regions.
UNDP and CDAC network undertook the scoping study to understand the community engagement and accountability to disaster-affected populations.
The report also provides recommendations for strengthening community engagement and promoting greater inclusion of disaster-affected people in their own preparedness, response, and recovery.
The report highlighted that community engagement was key to improved programmes for response to humanitarian challenges such as disasters, crises and pandemics in PNG.
“In a country as complex and diverse as PNG, cookie-cutter approaches to emergency or crisis preparedness or response are not adequate,” said acting United Nations resident coordinator Dirk Wagener.
“There is a need for humanitarian actors – government, national actors, and international partners – to re-think how we do things to ensure that the people of PNG are at the centre of all preparedness and response work we engage.”
CDAC executive director Marian Casey-Maslen said that the findings of the national consultation report showed the need for more meaningful interaction with the people affected by crisis.
She added that more meaningful interaction with women in particular could take informed decisions and play an active role in disaster preparedness and response.
The report’s identified a lack of mechanisms for disaster-affected people to provide feedback on disaster assistance, or pathways for reporting and addressing sexual exploitation, abuse, and other gender-based violence that can escalate following disasters and crises.