Standard Operating Procedure launched to relocate 42 villages affected by climate change

The Coalition Government is committed to ensuring that those who are forced to relocate from their homes due to the adverse impacts of climate change are treated with dignity and respect, and the best forms of support are made accessible to assist them in rebuilding their lives.

This has been highlighted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for External Trade, Cooperatives, SMES and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica while speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the launch of Fiji’s Standard Operating Procedure for planned relocation at the Grand Pacific Hotel yesterday.

Kamikamica says relocation is not something they want to do and it is a last resort, a response to the most extreme impacts of climate change.

He says relocation nevertheless is something that must be planned for, because the reality is that some of the communities will become uninhabitable in the years to come.

The Deputy Prime Minister says the Standard Operating Procedure launched will be piloted in the relocation of the village of Nabavatu in the Province of Macuata, due to damage wrought by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in December, 2020.

Kamikamica says the relevant government agencies have been working closely with the affected community to identify suitable relocation sites, and to ensure that their cultural, social, and economic values and needs are taken into account.

42 communities have been identified for relocation and will undergo assessment and verification processes through tools that are part of the Standard Operating Procedure.