WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by country | Page 288

Standard Project Report 2016
poverty found in the Northern Division (up to 45 percent), as well as among households living in rural areas, large
households with children and the elderly, and those working in the agricultural sector. The Government has
introduced a variety of social protection programmes to combat poverty, targeting an estimated 70 percent of
beneficiaries from the bottom 30-35 percent of the population. The Department of Social Welfare, under the Ministry
of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, administers Fiji's social protection programmes. The Poverty Benefit
Scheme, Care and Protection Allowance and Social Pension Scheme are the primary government programmes to
support poor and vulnerable people through the provision of cash benefits (transferred through electronic cards
and/or bank accounts) and paper vouchers for food.
As of 2014, Fiji ranked 90 out of 188 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), putting the country in the
high human development category. In the same year, Fiji ranked 87 out of 155 countries in the Gender Inequality
Index, with women's participation in the labour market at 41.6 percent, more than 34 percentage points lower than
their male counterparts at 75.8 percent [3]. The country's susceptibility to environmental crisis, its geographical
configuration and remoteness, and the high costs and complexity of providing public services, have weighed heavily
on Fiji's long-term development efforts. Although the expected targets for the Millennium Development Goals related
to alleviating poverty, advancing gender equality and combating diseases such as HIV/AIDS were not met in 2015,
the Fijian Government is continuing its efforts in these areas towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
On 20 February 2016, Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston tore through the islands of Fiji, killing 44 people and affecting
an estimated 540,000 people, or 62 percent of the country's population. The cyclone caused widespread damage
across the country, particularly in Lau and Lomaiviti groups in the Eastern Division; Rakiraki and Tavua in the
Western Division; and Taveuni and Cakaudrove in the Northern Division. A total of 30,369 houses, 495 schools, and
88 health clinics and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed; essential services were severely disrupted; and
food crops and other vegetation were crushed, compromising the livelihoods of 60 percent of the population.
Powerful storm surges washed away low-lying coastal areas, while subsequent flooding and heavy rains, caused by
a series of tropical depressions and a second cyclone (Tropical Cyclone Zena in April 2016), exacerbated needs
and affected shelter and agricultural rehabilitation works carried out post-Winston. The Government estimates the
total damages resulting from TC Winston at USD 1.3 billion, which is 31 percent of the country's GDP. The
agricultural sector bore the brunt of the cyclone, suffering a 65 percent loss in production.
[1] World Risk Report (Buendnis Entwicklung Hilft and UNU-EHS, 2016)
[2] Fiji, Making Social Protection More Responsive to Natural Disasters and Climate Change (World Bank, 2015)
[3] Fiji Labour Market Update – April (International Labour Organization Office for Pacific Island Countries, 2016)
Response of the Government and Strategic Coordination
Before Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston hit, the Government initiated disaster management, emergency
preparedness and early warning mechanisms, including the activation of national and divisional Emergency
Operations Centres and the establishment of evacuation centres in all divisions (Northern, Eastern, Central and
Western). On 21 February 2016, the Government declared a country-wide state of natural disaster and a 30-day
state of emergency, subsequently extended to two months, and called for international assistance. The emergency
response was led by the Government through the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) at the capital
level, and management committees at the provincial and district levels. Relief efforts were coordinated through the
National Cluster System, consisting of nine humanitarian sect