The Solomon Islands is taking significant steps to bolster its disaster preparedness with the planned establishment of a provincial humanitarian warehouse in Auki, located in Malaita Province. This initiative is part of a wider regional effort aimed at improving disaster readiness across the Pacific region.
This development aligns with the discussions held during the Second Pacific Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Ministers Meeting in Palau, where the Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program was a central topic. Jonathan Tafiariki, the Director of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in the Solomon Islands, expressed the importance of this partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC) to create the new facility. He remarked, “We are working with the SPC under the Pacific Humanitarian Warehouse Program to establish a provincial warehouse in Auki,” which will serve as a vital complement to the existing national warehouse in Honiara.
Australia’s collaboration is also an essential component of this initiative, providing support for the national humanitarian warehouse in Honiara. Lisa Cleary, Programme Director of the Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Programme, highlighted that the project is still in its preliminary stages, focusing on surveying and designing the new facility, with construction expected to commence by late 2027.
The introduction of the humanitarian warehouse in Auki builds on the success of the first Pacific humanitarian warehouse launched in Kiribati in 2022. Additionally, Palau is poised to open its own facility shortly, indicating a growing momentum for regional cooperation in disaster response. The overarching aim of the Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program is to empower Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste to handle disasters with enhanced independence and sustainability by 2031.
The program has already garnered participation from various nations, including Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Such collaborative endeavors are essential in building resilience against the rising threats posed by climate-related disasters, offering a sense of hope and a strategic path forward for safeguarding the future of Pacific communities.