Pre-positioning locally led communication and community engagement networks: learning from Fiji and Vanuatu

The international response to Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015 led to a shift in the dynamics of humanitarian response in Vanuatu and the wider Pacific region. In recent years, government and civil society in Fiji and Vanuatu have championed the importance of local leadership in humanitarian and development action.

Between 2018 and 2022 they worked with CDAC Network and Ground Truth Solutions, with funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to establish communication and community engagement (CCE) platforms for disaster preparedness and response.

The goals for these innovative national platforms were ambitious: they sought to fundamentally transform the nature of collaboration between communities and those working to serve them in a crisis. As well as ensuring predictable and improved two-way communication between affected communities and disaster preparedness and response actors, the platforms aimed to be locally led, intentionally inclusive of diverse communities and embedded in local institutions.

This paper captures key learnings from the project, as well as insights for scaling this type of CCE work and making it sustainable.