One size doesn’t fit all: tailoring the international response to the national need following Vanuatu’s Cyclone Pam

This report reviews the humanitarian response to Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu in 2015, and considers the extent to which the international response was appropriately tailored to meet national needs. \ua0Ahead of the\ua0Pacific Regional Consultation for the World Humanitarian Summit, the\ua0paper suggests four key\ua0areas for action:\ua0(i) support\ua0communities to reduce their vulnerability and mitigate the impact of disasters; (ii) recognise and support the role of\ua0national non-government actors in humanitarian response; (iii)\ua0move away\ua0from ‘one-size-fits-all’ systems and procedures; and (iv) take\ua0much stronger action to tackle climate change so as to curb\ua0the increase in Cyclone Pam scale events and help Pacific Island countries adapt to increased disaster risk