UNDRR welcomes Fijian Broadcasting Corporation disaster resilience plan
Suva, 6 March 2025 The Fijian Broadcasting Co
Suva, 6 March 2025 The Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) officially handed over its Resilience Action Plan to Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, marking a significant milestone as the first broadcaster in the South Pacific to develop a detailed disaster preparedness and response plan (DPRP).
The handover ceremony took place during a roundtable discussion at FBC headquarters during Mr. Kishore's visit to Fiji. This initiative follows the recent Pacific Media Partnership Conference in Suva, where Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) members emphasized the importance of disaster preparedness in the media sector through a Joint Commitment urging all broadcasters across the region to develop similar comprehensive plans for disaster scenarios. FBC's groundbreaking efforts align with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's (UNDRR) ongoing work to promote engagement across all of society in disaster risk reduction.
Mr. Kishore highlighted the essential role of broadcasters during disasters, noting that FBC's plan ensures the continued delivery of early warning messages to communities at risk.
"One of the things that we promote at UNDRR is that disaster risk reduction is not just the business of the disaster management office, but everybody's business," said Mr. Kishore. "This really exemplifies that you've embraced the notion of disaster risk reduction and resilience building in your operation."
Mr. Kishore emphasized that while accurate forecasts and warnings are often generated before disasters strike, the means of disseminating this critical information can be compromised during extreme events making broadcaster preparedness essential for effective early warning systems.
UNDRR initiative drives action plan
The development of FBC's Resilience Action Plan was triggered by the organization's participation in an online DRR Knowledge Course during UNDRR and World Broadcasting Union's "Media Saving Lives" initiative in 2021. The training engaged 35 FBC staff across departments including Strategy, Technology, News and Programming.
The plan represents a direct response to lessons learned during Cyclone Winston in 2016, when storm flooding inundated FBC's ground-floor studios and disrupted broadcasting services at a critical time when the public needed information most.
After extensive consultations with all staff, the plan became operational in late 2024, positioning FBC as a pioneer among media organizations in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Ensuring continuous service during disasters
FBC's Chief Executive Officer and the Resilience Committee Chair outlined how their plan creates a framework for operational sustainability and public safety during disasters. The approach includes staff training, infrastructure protection, and specialized content delivery protocols for emergency situations to ensure the delivery of reliable and timely information to the public.
The plan addresses four key focus areas: Leadership & Development, Media Awareness Content, Stakeholder Engagement, and Safety & Sustainability. It includes the establishment of a permanent FBC Resilience Committee and an Incident Management Team that activates during emergencies, as well as provisions for contingency broadcast stations and emergency broadcast schedules for different types of disasters.
"Having a Resilience Action Plan means we are now on a path to improving how we can handle any incident, not just disasters. The plan is practical and will keep evolving as we learn more. We feel much more in control of our future, but theres still a lot of work ahead," said Fabian Randerath, Chair of the FBC Resilience Committee.
By implementing the Resilience Action Plan, FBC directly contributes to broader disaster resilience efforts in the Pacific region, supporting UNDRR's strategic objectives and the UN Secretary-General's Early Warnings for All Initiative to ensure every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems.