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.
Key learnings
Step back so local systems can lead
Locally led processes take time: have a deep understanding of the context, follow local priorities, link with national strategies, and embed within local structures to create credibility and trust.
Enable flexible funding to allow local concerns to be prioritised and keep stakeholders engaged.
Ongoing two-way capacity bridging builds trust, coherence and collaboration and increases local skills and knowledge.
Use locally appropriate CCE terminology, mainstream it and stick to it.
Seek diverse feedback and adapt
National partners have capacity and willingness to collect and share community feedback data.
Understanding and working within national and local systems is the start of making standard feedback processes work.
Approved messaging unifies government and civil society organisations’ CCE responses.
To improve, organisations need to trial their resources and training in a disaster.
An intentional approach to inclusion and diversity is needed, including funding participation where necessary
Scale and sustain CCE Platforms
Engage with government and civil society from the start for influence and sustainability.
Include CCE in policy-level preparedness and response plans.
Provide predictable and continual funding for CCE work.
Development and humanitarian actors can work together to embed CCE.