Humanitarian Assistance In The Pacific: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Australia’s Response to Cyclone Pam

In 2016, the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) undertook an evaluation of Australia’s humanitarian response to Tropical Cyclone Pam that hit Vanuatu in March 2015. This evaluation considered the first two tranches of Australian Government relief funding for response and early recovery. It focused on the response efforts by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), including the department’s leadership and coordination roles.

The evaluation sought to draw on the response to Cyclone Pam to identify how DFAT can better support Pacific Island Countries to prepare for, respond to and recover from rapid-onset emergencies. The evaluation report is forward-looking with recommendations formulated in the context of updated policy frameworks, recognising subsequent changes in the policy landscape. DFAT has agreed to all recommendations and its management response is included in the report.

The evaluation found that overall Australia’s assistance was effective and largely aligned with policy commitments. Disaster preparedness activities supported by Australia reduced the impact of the cyclone in some communities and helped establish the national systems that coordinated the response. In delivering humanitarian assistance, DFAT made strategic use of a diversity of partners with a range of approaches, strengths and skills to support the Vanuatu Government and deliver assistance to affected communities. ODE is an operationally independent unit within DFAT that measures and reports on the effectiveness of the Australian aid program. It independently initiates, manages and conducts strategic evaluations that focus on key policy directions, specific development themes and sectors, or large programs.