Fiji, Dec. 15 -- By Moortaza Jiwanji

The Pacific region is facing considerable economic and social development challenges due to the increasing impact of climate change and geo-hazards. With limited human resources and existing social and economic challenges, Pacific island countries (PICs) are struggling to manage these impacts and are likely to see reversals in development gains made to date. The Australian Government research undertaken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)'s Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE), has identified that countries can at times lose as much as half of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during disaster events.

In response to this challenge, countries in the Pacific have been able to acc...