Vakavakarau Vata (Getting Prepared Together) : Key Lessons for Fiji from Recent Experiences on Adaptive Social Protection and a Way Forward (English)

Growing climate risks pose a significant socioeconomic threat to the vulnerable communities in Fiji. In Fiji, gender inequality presents an extreme challenge, and it is particularly amplified amid disasters and crises. The Government of Fiji has introduced various adaptive social protection (ASP) interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of shocks from the past disasters and crises. The Government of Fiji is committed to developing an ASP strategy with implementation roadmap aimed at facilitating more timely, efficient, and inclusive responses to future shocks. The World Bank, in close consultation with key government counterparts, conducted a social protection stress test to identify areas of focus for the ASP strategy development process. As an initial step toward building an ASP strategy in Fiji, the social protection stress test tool was employed to assess the adaptability of the social protection system to shocks, including those related to climate change. The assessment covered vulnerability analysis, including a simulation of the ASP program and financing and an assessment of four building blocks of the ASP system: (i) institutional arrangements and partnerships, (ii) social protection programs and delivery system, (iii) data and information, and (iv) financing ASP. The initial draft score of the stress test was prepared by the World Bank team and finalized through a consultation process with key government officials who have also been involved in developing the ASP strategy.