Participants at the UNISDR Expert meeting on Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into National Adaptation Plans (photo: UNISDR)

By Rosalind Cook and Andrew McElroy

Bonn, 29 November 2017 – The motto of the Republic of Marshall Islands - ‘Accomplishment through Joint Effort’ - has proved an inspiration for the country’s disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) communities to integrate their efforts to boost community resilience.

The north Pacific nation has reshaped its national governance for risk-informed development to ensure less duplication and achieve more sustainable impact at the local level.

Ms Jennifer DeBrum of the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ Joint National Action Plan Unit explained how stronger integration "makes sense to us conceptually" in a country with scarce resources and several challenges for the population of 54,000 people.

"We have been working to strengthen coordination and coherence of action on risk informed development and economic policy since 2010," Ms DeBrum said. "The key to success was working with all different groups – women, youth, mayors - to get them involved and ultimately to own the joint strategy.

"Going from theory to action was not easy for sure; it was a very complex process. In fact, it takes a lot of determination and tenacity to get it done."

Ms DeBrum was sharing the Marshall Islands’ experience at the Expert Meeting on Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into National Adaptation Planning, in Bonn, Germany, which convened 60 development policy specialists, DRR and CCA experts from around the world.