Vanuatu Employment Project – Increasing the quantity and quality of employment in recovery and reconstruction after cyclone PAM.

Vanuatu is a least developed country in the South Pacific. It remains one of the most disaster prone countries in the world. Vanuatu experiences earthquakes, cyclones and volcanic eruptions. The population of about 260,000 people is spread out over 82 islands. The country’s economy is mostly based on agriculture (including fisheries and livestock) and tourism. Most of the agriculture is subsistence based. Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu on 14 March 2015. Its impact was devastating for the poor small island nation. Cyclone Pam is possibly the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. Although the confirmed death toll has fortunately been rather low, the cyclone left a trail of destruction across the archipelago and Vanuatu has called for international assistance. Many houses on the worst affected islands were destroyed or are roofless, roads are blocked and landslides have occurred, gardens, crops, livestock and trees were destroyed, fishing boats were lost and schools and health centres have been damaged. Food shortages are looming and many people have lost their source of livelihoods. The country’s president said the disaster had destroyed all the progress from development in recent years. In this context ILO has developed this proposal to boost employment creation in Vanuatu to support poor and vulnerable families to regain a source of income. The ILO Country Office in Suva covering Vanuatu is asking the ILO Japan Social Safety Nets Fund to support the ILO’s medium term response and in particular activities for developing small-scale community and private contractors to increasingly take part in the reconstruction process with the aim to create more local employment and income and boost the local economy. The proposed project will initiate local job generation through established and capacitated local contractors involved with the repair and rehabilitation of infrastructure and environmental and community assets. This would increase the meaningful participation of the affected communities in the reconstruction process in partnership with the Vanuatu Government and social partners. The overall aim is to enhance resilience in local communities and the project can serve as a model for future crisis response.

Project symbol

VAN/15/50/JPN

Admin unit

CO-Suva

Start date

15/04/2015

End date

31/08/2016

Total allocation

169626

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

169626

Development Partners

Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Country/Countries

Vanuatu

Outcomes

More and better jobs for inclusive growth and improved youth employment prospects