Business toolkit for disaster resilience
THE second phase of the Business Continuity Plan Toolkit was launched yesterday in Suva in six different languages including itaukei and Hindi.
This was according to the Pacific Community (SPC) Geoscience, Energy and Maritime Division Team leader Communications and Knowledge Management, Lisa Kingsberry.
“The total cost of the original pilot was $38,000 which included the development of all of the tools pulling all of the research together from all the disaster needs analysis, a lot SPC research papers,” she said.
“And then the vernacular translation into six languages and additional videos.
“So this includes about 52 separate videos all into different languages, all of the tools into different languages which is six per language, and then English tools as well was $F73,000.”
Ms Kingsberry said this was phase two whereby the countries had requested to translate for them which had been handed to private sector organisations to lead this in the language for the particular small and micro businesses. In Fiji there had been specifically 200 businesses which were trained to use this toolkit.
“It also helped change the dialogue around the impact of working with the private sector, how to do it, why it’s really important to work alongside private sector in the Pacific so that we can build a resilient Pacific together,” she said.
According to Ms Kingsberry in terms of disaster preparedness every dollar someone spent before a disaster struck to prepare businesses and prepare communities it actually saved $7 in humanitarian response.
“So the more prepared we are particularly with the risk of climate change and the increased era of disasters that we are already seeing in the Pacific the better off we are, the more prepared and the more ready we are.
“In the Pacific businesses are made up of family businesses they are not the big multinationals that are destroying our islands its small medium family micro, agriculture and market vendors.
“And so helping them help build the community because they’re part of that community to get back on their feet quickly but also get their employees back to work so that communities are back getting paid and earning a living immediately after a disaster is critical for community resilience.”
According to the PIPSO communications officer, Kristyn Lobendahn the translated material would be used for more community outreach particularly with agribusiness communities and those in the rural based informal sector.
“BCP work and advocacy on Business disaster preparedness and recovery remains a core component to PIPSO work and we will continue to support the private sector in the Pacific in this space,” she said.
“We recognise a lot of focus has been on post disaster efforts and in many instances these areas of support are humanitarian in nature.
“And while we understand and recognise the importance of humanitarian aid, it often comes at the expense of mobilising and supporting business rehabilitation.”