In the heart of the Pacific Ocean, the Atoll nations of Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), are among the most vulnerable to natural hazards and the long-term impacts of changing environment. These Atoll nations share  common challenges such as cyclones, floods, droughts,  earthquakes, tsunamis, and rising sea levels, and coastal erosion, that threaten their land, livelihoods and future.  Their shared vulnerabilities have fostered a common commitment to resilience.

Development partners are also aligned with this goal. The European Union (EU), Japan International Cooperation Agency, Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme are working to address climate risks and protect communities and ecosystem in the region.  The World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) have recently contributed to these efforts through the publication of the Pacific Atoll Countries Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) which highlights the severe existential threats these nations face and proposes urgent adaptation strategies. 

To aid this effort, the ACP-EU Disaster Risk Management Program, funded by the EU, the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and managed by GFDRR,  is financing technical assistance in Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the RMI. 

Building a Regional Knowledge Base

Natural hazards do not respect national borders and the ACP-EU Disaster Risk Management Program under GFDRR reflects this reality through a combination of regional and national initiatives. The technical assistance “Regional Adaptive Urbanization and Climate Risk Analytics and Knowledge Exchange” included a comprehensive study on pathways for adaptation to sea level rise and climate change for the three countries.  This informed the CCDR’s recommended response strategies: protect, accommodate, and retreat, each tailored to specific landscapes and population needs.

Several other ongoing studies under technical assistance focused on urbanization, risk-informed adaptation planning, and climate impact analyses in selected Pacific cities. A regional analysis is identifying strategies for resilient urban planning, upgraded public facilities, healthy and resilient public spaces, social inclusion, urban governance models, and land administration systems. Case studies in Honiara (Solomon Islands) and Salelologa (Samoa) are being finalized, including a multi-hazard risk assessment and investment options aligned with the regional-level strategies for each city.

These efforts are beginning to yield tangible outcomes and will ultimately provide updated policy and investment guidance for the Pacific region. Risk-informed spatial planning, urban policy development, and investments in basic services and resilient infrastructure are expected to reduce disaster risk, improve economic growth, and enhance the quality of life. By expanding the analytical base, promoting good practices, and strengthening government capacity, technical assistance is expected to help guide investment prioritization and lay the foundation for reforms related to resilient and inclusive urbanization.

These efforts also collectively create new opportunities for regional knowledge sharing and capacity building. A notable example is the Pacific Talanoa Hub, a dedicated knowledge-sharing event during the Understanding Risk 2024 conference which focused on vulnerability assessments and data-based decision-making. With over 20 officials involved from across the region, the Hub exemplified the Pacific’s commitment to long-term learning and collaboration through deeper personal and institutional connections.

Tailored Country Support 

Beyond the regional technical assistance, each country is receiving customized technical assistance to support safer urbanization and risk-informed infrastructure and planning.

Kiribati: Risk-Informed Spatial Planning 

In Kiribati, the “Strengthening Climate and Disaster Risk Informed Spatial Planning, and Land Development” technical assistance is enhancing the country’s disaster preparedness and response by co-financing and supporting the ongoing World Bank financed Kiribati Outer Islands Resilience and Adaptation Project (KOIRAP), specifically by preparing Risk Informed Spatial Plans. Through a participatory, whole-of-island planning process, communities are improving their capacity to manage risks.  The project also promotes sustainability by empowering Island councils and local governments to learn and make informed land-use decisions. Furthermore, the grant supported a high-level assessment of end-to-end multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) needs, helping the Kiribati Meteorological Service and the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management unit to identify potential future investments.  These could be financed by the World Bank, donors and other global initiatives such as the Systematic Observations Financing Facility and the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems, which aim to address these issues and close basic weather and climate observations data gaps and support risk-informed early warning services. 

Tuvalu: Resilient Public Facilities 

In Tuvalu, the technical assistance “Strengthening Disaster and Climate Resilience of Public Facilities” aims to support the government in strengthening disaster preparedness and response, as well as identifying investment options to reduce key public infrastructure vulnerability. In doing so, the grant is providing support to strengthen the implementation and administration of the recently approved Tuvalu National Building Code. 

Activities include conducting a needs assessment for new multi-purpose cyclone shelters and upgrading existing shelters. This also involves upgrading, replacing, or relocating education facilities to meet enhanced resilience standards. Additionally, technical assistance supports rainwater harvesting and storage and helps identify solar power possibilities for public buildings. 

The results in Tuvalu will help guide resilient investments in public infrastructure and improve disaster response coordination and asset management.

RMI: Urban Resilience and Infrastructure

In the RMI, “Strengthening Resilient Urbanization and Public Facilities” technical assistance is supporting efforts to enhance building code compliance and regulation. It contributes to the development of frameworks, policy mechanisms, and tools that strengthen the government’s capacity to address disaster and climate risks. 

Progress has been made in identifying priority investments and potential funding and strategies for climate adaptation. These efforts have led to the government’s commitment to work with the World Bank to develop a potential disaster risk financing policy.

Coordinated Action for Greater Impact 

The ACP-EU funded technical assistance is directly informing several World Bank-financed investment projects in the region, ensuring alignment between technical diagnostics, planning, and capital investment.  

In Kiribati, supported by Risk Informed Spatial Plans prepared under the technical assistance, the Kiribati Outer Islands Resilience and Adaptation Project ($20 million) aims to enhance resilience and adaptation in the outer islands. In RMI, the Urban Resilience Project ($30 million) focuses on improving the resilience of select vulnerable urban areas. The technical assistance also supported an important legislative reform to enhance building code implementation that helped to secure the Enhancing Fiscal Resilience and Building Disaster and Climate Resilience Development Policy Operation with a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO), that includes a $12 million contingent line of financing from the World Bank that can be drawn down for an eligible catastrophic event.

Other disaster risk management related initiatives also reinforce this work. The Asian Development Bank is upgrading the water supply, sewerage, and waste management systems in Ebeye in the Marshall Islands and has a $16.5 million grant agreement with Tuvalu to improve water and sanitation services in Funafuti. 

Japan International Cooperation Agency is involved in a water and waste management program for the Republic of the Marshall Island’s Majuro Water & Sewerage Company. And United Nations Development Programme is working on climate vulnerability in the water sector through the Addressing Climate Change Vulnerability in the Water Sector (ACWA) project, which aims to strengthen water security and support the Marshall Islands’ drought response plan. 

These collaborative efforts highlight the importance of a multi-faceted approach to enhancing resilience and addressing impacts of climate change in the region. With funding from the ACP-EU Disaster Risk Management Program, the World Bank and its partners are combining regional analysis, national technical support, and targeted investments to help build a more resilient future for the Pacific Islands.