Civil society shut out of new Pacific disaster fund, NGOs tell MPs

Civil society organisations are being shut out of a major new regional disaster and climate fund and only the Government can change that.

That is the message from the Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) and the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO), who appeared before Parliament's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence yesterday.

The two organisations are urging Fiji to ratify the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), a new regional fund being set up by Pacific Island countries to help communities better prepare for and recover from disasters and climate change — and to champion civil society participation within it.

Under the PRF's current structure, community organisations and NGOs have no direct pathway in and only governments can nominate representatives to its advisory board and partners dialogue forum.

"We will not be able to put forward any recommendation for participation of civil society until the government puts forward a nomination to those two mechanisms," said PIANGO executive director Emeline Siale.

FCOSS Executive Director Vani Catanasiga said Fiji's NGOs are already doing critical work in communities — from disaster response to climate relocation — and must have a voice in how the fund is shaped and spent.

"Civil society organisations bring local knowledge, trusted relationships and the ability to reach communities that are often least served by large-scale financing mechanisms," she said.

Ms Siale said that Fiji stood out regionally for allowing public submissions on the PRF agreement, saying most Pacific nations are simply signing on without any public process.

Both organisations said the PRF, if done right, could directly benefit ordinary Fijians, particularly the most vulnerable, by getting disaster funding to communities faster and more effectively.

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