East New Britain Steps Up Disaster Preparedness

Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, exposed to floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. Its rugged mountains, dense tropical rainforests, vast coastlines, and remote islands make disaster risk management (DRM) a complex challenge.

August 17, 2025

Participants engaging in discussion during the training.

UNDP Papua New Guinea

To strengthen resilience, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in close partnership with the National Disaster Centre (NDC), delivered a Multi-Hazard Validation Workshop and Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) Training in Kokopo, East New Britain Province, from 12–15 August 2025.

The initiative is part of the fourth phase of the Humanitarian Coordination & Disaster Risk Reduction Project (HAT Project, Phase IV), funded by the Australian Government. The NDC plays a central role in leading and coordinating this exercise, ensuring that the data validation and training align with national disaster risk reduction priorities and strengthen the country’s overall preparedness framework.

The workshop brought together provincial and district stakeholders, technical officers and decision-makers to review and validate hazard data for disaster mitigation, planning, and resource allocation. This process ensures data is accurate, locally relevant, and aligned with both national and provincial plans.

In his remarks to the participants, the Assistant Director of Disaster Risk Management at the National Disaster Centre, Mr. Andrew Oaego, highlighted East New Britain’s status as one of Papua New Guinea’s most vulnerable provinces to natural disasters. “It’s vital to validate data and maintain an up-to-date information management system for hazards and other sectoral datasets. This ensures better planning and informed decisions that can save lives and protect communities. We are grateful to the Government of Australia for its generous funding support, and to UNDP for bringing its technical expertise as our implementing partner, in delivering these workshops and trainings,” he stated.

Group Photo with Mr. Levi Mano, Provincial Administrator, East New Britain Province, and Mr. Andrew Oaego, Assistant Director – Disaster Risk Management, National Disaster Centre, with other government officials from East New Britain Provincial Administration and National and Provincial Disaster Centers.

UNDP Papua New Guinea

Moreover, the Provincial Administrator of East New Britain Province, Mr. Levi Mano, stressed the cruciality of building the capacity of Provincial Disaster Officers: “They are the province’s first responders. While the provincial administration is committed to supporting research and advanced training, this timely intervention by UNDP and NDC provides crucial opportunities for officers and stakeholders at both provincial and district levels to strengthen their skills.”

Technical experts from the National Disaster Centre, National Weather Service (NWS), the Hydrology Section of the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory (PMGO), Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO)—both under the Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazard Management (DMPGM), participated in the workshop to provide their advice and oversight.