WB assists disaster plans with K5.6mil

By JACOB POK
THE World Bank and the Papua New Guinea government have signed a US$2.6 million (K5.6 million) agreement to support disaster risk management in the transport sector.
The funding for the project was received from the Japanese government through its policy and human resources development technical assistance programme.
Finance Minister Don Polye and World Bank country manager Laura Bailey signed the agreement in the presence of Japanese Ambassador Hiroharu Iwasaki.
Polye thanked the World Bank and the government of Japan for their support.
“We have capacity constraints and the support given will greatly assist in the vital areas in the transport sector.
“We value the relationship and it would be a mutual relationship which will go a long way in the future,” Polye said.
The project, which has three main components, will help develop capacity for disaster risk management and climate change adaption.
It will support the integration of these topics in the transport sector.
In particular, it will establish a system for hazard risk assessment, provide support for data collection and conduct pilot works to demonstrate effective mitigation of transport hazard risks.
Because road network in PNG is often disrupted by natural disasters such as flooding and landslides, the project will  ensure goods and services are accessed without prolonged delays during such disruptions. 
“The disaster risk management programme of the World Bank focuses mainly in the agriculture and transport sector, which are two of the sectors in PNG that are extremely vulnerable to natural disaster,” Bailey said.