Humanitarian Action

Grounded in the experience of five highly disaster-exposed countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, this Pacific Edition maps key civil-military coordination mechanisms at regional and national levels.

This paper discusses the need for improved understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced before outlining a study that has commenced to understand and improve interaction between NGOs and militaries.

Tropical Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu and surrounds in March 2015. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) led the Australian response, which also involved significant Defence engagement and the substantial use of military assets.

In August 2014, the United Nations (UN) Security Council declared the Ebola virus outbreak in the West African subregion a ‘threat to international peace and security’. The UN’s request for assistance from member states resulted in the mobilisation of technical expertise, medical capacity, humanitarian assistance, and military and civil defence assets.

This guide examines the broad topic of communication and its role in a range of different humanitarian and complex emergency situations.