IOM Vanuatu

16/10/2026

16/10/2026

Yumi bildim wan sef mo resilien komuniti long Vanuatu.

Yestete 15th October, IOM Vanuatu hemi hostem 2 visit iko long tufala malti pepes evacuesen senta weh oli stap bildim long Efate.

Fes Sekreteri blong Embassy blong Japan long Vanuatu, Mr. Mizuho Kubota mo Ekonomiks mo Politikol Ofisa Mr. Gorden Tahapat oli visitim Teuma Green Lake mo Tanvasoko Evakuesen sites. Folem wetem wan visit iko long Tanvasoko site, yumi kat UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Dirk Wagener, Country Coordination Specialist long Vanuatu Mr. Michael Taurokoto mo ol colleagues long Fiji UN Resident Coordinator’s Ofis weh oli stap lukoutem Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu mo Vanuatu.

Visit ia hemi wan taem mo oponuniti blong luk prokres blong constraksen, tokbaut hao project hemi bringim tuketa resilien infrastructure, disaster displesmen manejmen, komuniti preparedness mo institusonal kapasiti blong helpem komunitis oli evacuate mo rekava long wan gudfala wei taem wan disasta hemi strike.

Ol evakuesen senta ia oli stap build anta long Strengthening Resilience to Disaster and Displacement Risks In Vanuatu Project, mo funding hemi kam long Japan tru long Embassy blong Japan long Vanuatu. Yumi kat ol nara evakuesen senta weh oli stap planem blong bildim long Pango mo Eratap long Efate mo Bombua long Santo.

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Building safer and more resilient communities in Vanuatu

Yesterday, IOM Vanuatu was pleased to host two visits to multi-purpose evacuation centres currently under construction on Efate.

First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Vanuatu, Mr. Mizuho Kubota, and Economics & Political Officer Mr. Gorden Tahapat visited the Teouma Green Lake and Tanvasoko sites. This was followed by a visit to Tanvasoko by UN Resident Coordinator Dirk Wagener, joined by Michael Taurokoto, Country Coordination Specialist for Vanuatu, and colleagues from the Fiji-based UN Resident Coordinator’s Office covering Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The visits provided an opportunity to see construction progress and discuss how the project brings together resilient infrastructure, disaster displacement management, community preparedness and institutional capacity to help communities evacuate, shelter and recover with dignity when disasters strike.

The centres are being constructed under the Strengthening Resilience to Disaster and Displacement Risks in Vanuatu project, funded by the people of Japan through the Embassy of Japan in Vanuatu. In addition to Teouma Green Lake and Tanvasoko, sites are also planned for Pango and Eratap on Efate, and Bombua on Santo.

Embassy of Japan in Vanuatu / 在バヌアツ日本国大使館 UN in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu & Vanuatu

08/10/2026

Strengthening Displacement and Evacuation Centre Management in Vanuatu.

As part of the Sef Ples Blong Yumi Phase II Project, IOM, in collaboration with NDMO, Provincial, and Area Council authorities, continues to strengthen Displacement and Evacuation Centre Management (DECM) at provincial and community levels. During August 2026, Evacuation Centre Management trainings were conducted across Sanma and Malampa Provinces, bringing together Provincial and Area Council representatives to strengthen their knowledge, coordination, and preparedness for effective evacuation centre management during emergencies and disasters.

📍 Trainings in Sanma Province
• Provincial DECM Training of Trainers Combining 3 Area Councils (East, Canal Fanafo and South East Area Councils) – 19 to 20 August 2026
• South Santo 1 and 2 Area Council ECM Training – 26 to 27 August 2026
📍 Trainings in Malampa Province
• Provincial DECM Training of Trainers – 25 to 26 August 2026
• Northwest Area Council ECM Training – 27 August 2026

These trainings support the establishment of stronger Provincial and Area Council DECM structures, while building the capacity of local authorities and communities to better prepare for, coordinate, and manage evacuations during disasters. Through continued financial support from the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the project team including National Disaster Management Office, IOM, Provincial Governments, Area Councils, and communities, are working towards building capacity so that communities across Vanuatu are safer, more prepared, and more resilient to disasters.

Australian High Commission, Vanuatu

02/10/2026

Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Small Grants Now Open!

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is inviting eligible government entities to apply for small grants that support community awareness initiatives aimed at preventing Human Trafficking and promoting safe migration in Vanuatu.

For more information and application details, contact us at:
29786 / 7598502.

16/09/2026

🌏 Strengthening Research and Action on Climate Mobility in Vanuatu 🇻🇺

IOM and the National University of Vanuatu (NUV) have formalised a new partnership through an MoU that deepens collaboration on research, data analysis and capacity building related to climate and disaster induced displacement in Vanuatu.

The partnership supports the rollout of the Risk Index for Climate Displacement (RICD) in Vanuatu; a tool that integrates national datasets with community insights to help identify hotspots of climate related displacement and inform evidence based decision making.

This commitment to joint action is already underway, with four NUV students joining IOM teams over the next two weeks to support RICD data collection across communities.

IOM Vanuatu

16/09/2026

Understanding climate mobility to strengthen preparedness, adaptation and resilience in Vanuatu 🇻🇺

Across Vanuatu, communities are already facing the impacts of climate change on livelihoods, land, and ways of life. To better understand how climate change impacts mobility and support practical solutions, IOM is rolling out community-level data collection using the Risk Index for Climate Displacement (RICD).📊

Over the next two weeks, our teams are engaging with communities across Sanma and Penama provinces to capture insights on climate risks, mobility, and local priorities. This data will help identify the triggers and impacts of climate displacement in areas most at risk of displacement. The findings will also translate into investments in locally grounded solutions through the Climate Catalytic Fund, supporting communities to reduce risks, adapt to change, and stay safe.🌱

This effort is delivered in close partnership with the Department of Climate Change, the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics, and the National University of Vanuatu.🎓 By working closely with national and local partners including students from the National University of Vanuatu - the initiative supports evidence-based decision-making and strengthens national capacity to address climate mobility challenges.

16/09/2026

🇻🇺 🇫🇯 From one Pacific nation to another, peer to peer exchange is helping turn planned relocation policies into meaningful action for communities.

🤝 Through a Peer-to-Peer Exchange on Planned Relocation, delegates from Vanuatu engaged directly with Fiji’s technical experts, institutions, coordination mechanisms and communities to explore what it takes to move from policy to implementation. From Fiji’s planned relocation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to hands-on learning with risk and vulnerability tools such as the Comprehensive Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Methodology (CRVAM) and geotechnical surveys, the exchange focused on practical approaches to supporting communities affected by climate and disaster-related displacement.

🏘️ Community Talanoa in Tukuraki and Vuniniudrovu grounded discussions in lived experience, highlighting the importance of livelihoods, infrastructure, culture and long-term community-led resilience.

🗣️ Participants also engaged with Fiji’s relocation and displacement coordination mechanisms through a multi-stakeholder roundtable, strengthening knowledge exchange on governance, financing and safeguards that help ensure relocation processes remain rights-based, people centered, inclusive and dignified.

🌱 For Vanuatu, guided by national policies on displacement, climate change and loss and damage, these lessons contribute to strengthening institutional capacity, operational guidance, coordination and community-centred safeguards that can support durable solutions over time.

Facilitated by the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, together with the Fiji Government and IOM, the exchange was delivered through the joint programme Advancing Durable Solutions to Internal Displacement in Vanuatu, funded by the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund (IDSF). Insights from the exchange are now helping shape Vanuatu’s National Planned Relocation Guidelines and strengthening efforts to plan proactively for displacement through a whole-of-government approach.

Here's what the delegates had to say 👇

13/09/2026

🇻🇺 As search and rescue efforts continue, thoughts and prayers are with the families awaiting news of loved ones, the survivors, and all those affected by the loss of the MV Matui.

07/09/2026

Building resilience, one evacuation centre at a time.

Multi-purpose evacuation centres are helping strengthen disaster preparedness and provide safer spaces for communities across Vanuatu during emergencies and displacement events.
Funded by the Government of Japan through the Embassy of Japan in Vanuatu and implemented in partnership with NDMO and IOM Vanuatu.

Embassy of Japan in Vanuatu / 在バヌアツ日本国大使館 National Disaster Management Office IOM Asia-Pacific

31/08/2026

Strengthening information management for displacement preparedness in Vanuatu

On Monday 24 August, government and partner agencies came together to preview the Displacement and Evacuation Centre Management (DECM) Cluster Information Management Portal and how it can support more coordinated management of displacement and evacuation centre information before, during and after emergencies.

The workshop provided an opportunity to strengthen user understanding of the portal, gather feedback from stakeholders and support ongoing efforts to improve preparedness and coordination for disaster displacement in Vanuatu.

Led by NDMO and supported by IOM Vanuatu through its role as co-lead of the DECM Cluster, the initiative forms part of the Sef Ples Blong Yumi Phase II project, funded by the Government of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

National Disaster Management Office Australian High Commission, Vanuatu