Fiji Post-Cyclone Winston Emergency Development Policy Operation (DPO)

The development objective of the Post-cyclone Winston Emergency Development Policy Operation Project for Fiji is to support Fiji’s recovery from the immediate impact of Cyclone Winston through a prioritized and sequenced recovery plan; and (ii) cushion the immediate impact of Cyclone Winston on the most vulnerable through the provision of disaster-responsive social protection. These correspond to the two pillars of the operation. Under the first pillar of the operation, the Government of Fiji (GoF) has completed a comprehensive Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) , as the basis for preparing a prioritized and sequenced recovery plan. Under the second pillar of the operation, the GoF has provided disaster-responsive social protection to cushion the immediate impact of the cyclone on the most vulnerable, and begun an evaluation of this initiative with a view to informing the design of a disaster responsive social protection framework for future natural disasters. A development policy operation (DPO) was selected to assist Fiji, because of the need for quick-disbursing funds to help Fiji implement its recovery program in the coming fiscal year without crowding out other essential expenditure, because Fiji has the capacity to manage key aspects of its recovery program itself, and because it facilitates the close coordination of financing with the Asian Development Bank that Fiji specifically requested. The GoF has used the PDNA as a basis for formulating a Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF) which sets out a prioritized and sequenced recovery plan for the medium term. The DRF will serve as a strategic management tool for the GoF to plan and implement its recovery effort over the next two years. The GoF has reprioritized budgeted funds in the current fiscal year, to enable it to finance its immediate recovery expenditures in a timely manner, without crowding out other essential expenditure. This pillar of the operation is expected to support the effective planning and management of the recovery effort, including enhancing Fiji’s disaster resilience for the future. The results indicators chosen for this pillar are the use of the DRF as a strategic planning and resource allocation tool, as indicated by the proportion of funds allocated in the FY2017 budget to recovery activities included in the DRF that are expended in FY2017, and the implementation of the DRF to enhance disaster resilience, as indicated by the strengthening of the building code in accordance with the DRF.

The development objective of the Post-Cyclone Winston Emergency Development Policy Loan (DPL) (Program Document [PD], page 2) was to (i) support Fiji’s recovery from the immediate impact of cyclone Winston through a prioritized and sequenced recovery plan; and (ii) cushion the immediate impact of cyclone Winston on the most vulnerable through the provision of disaster-responsive social protection.

Output 1: A post-disaster needs assessment of damage and losses from the cyclone was completed in May 2016 as a prior action for the DPL. A disaster recovery framework (DRF) was also completed in May 2016, again as a prior action for the DPL. The DRF sets out a prioritized and sequenced recovery plan for FY2016/2018, and its full implementation was to result in enhanced disaster resilience. Enhanced disaster resilience was to be guided by principles of “building back better”, “inclusiveness” and being “pro-poor”.
Output 2: All eligible households/individuals registered in Fiji’s core social protection programs – a trio of safety net programs (a poverty benefit scheme, a social pension scheme, and a care and protection scheme targeted at children) - were provided with additional cash assistance (top-up payments) within a deadline of four weeks after the policy announcement (prior action). An evaluation of the disaster-responsive social protection programs was undertaken to assess the utility of timely disaster-responsive social protection and its eventual mainstreaming as part of a future disaster response.

Achievement 1: Implementation of the DRF is only partially on track. According to the policy and results matrix in the PD, at least 75 percent of the FY2016/2017 budget for Tropical Cyclone Winston recovery programs should have been spent. If the original and additional allocations and spending are taken into account, about 46 percent of the total allocation for DRF activities was spent (less than the 56 percent stated in the ICR). The reason for this low rate of budget execution seems to have been the overambitious targets set by the authorities for reconstruction of schools and additional transport infrastructure by mid-2017, and the inability of the Fiji construction sector to deliver on these targets (ICR, page 20). The ICR (page 7) further reports that school construction is scheduled to be fully completed by December 2018. The government had been unwilling to provide additional information to the Bank until after the November 2018 elections. They have since been completed but the government has not yet provided any further information on school construction. “Enhanced disaster resilience” – the aim of the DRF – was to be measured by revisions to the building code, notably by improving the robustness of standards and enhancing enforcement of regulations. However, by December 2018, no action had been taken on the building code.
Achievement 2: A total of 96 percent of the eligible households/individuals received the additional benefits within the deadline of four weeks, compared to a target of 75 percent. The program evaluation found that 86.9 percent of top-up payments were spent on “essential items”. Essential items initially were not defined, but drawing on survey responses, beneficiaries spent the top-up funds on housing repairs, household goods, food, school supplies, and productive assets. Table 4 in the ICR (page 14) sets out a list of essential and non-essential spending items, all of which are household expenditures that can be expected when unconditional cash transfers are introduced. No evaluation was formally made by the government of mainstreaming social protection into a disaster framework . However, the ICR (page 15) indicates that recommendations relating to disaster-responsive social protection have been prepared within the Ministry of Social Welfare

• Targeting vulnerable groups (including women):
- The social protection programs supported under the project — such as the Poverty Benefit Scheme (PBS) and the Care and Protection Scheme (CPS) — directly benefited female-headed households, single mothers, and widows, who are among the most vulnerable in Fijian society.
- The CPS in particular assists single parents, deserted spouses, dependents of prisoners, and families who lost a breadwinner — groups that largely comprise women.
• Strengthening resilience among women:
- By supporting these safety nets, the operation enhanced women’s economic security and resilience to disasters. Women often manage household recovery, food, and education expenses after shocks, so these programs indirectly strengthened their adaptive capacity.
• Social inclusion and protection approach:
- The project’s “pro-poor” and “inclusive” principles in the Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF) emphasized support for marginalized and vulnerable groups, implicitly including women and children affected by Cyclone Winston.
• Institutional learning for future programs:
- The evaluation of the social protection top-up programs was meant to inform future disaster-responsive frameworks, which could incorporate gender-sensitive targeting and data disaggregation by sex in future designs.

• Donor was funded by the World Bank Through - [International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) & International Development Association (IDA)] of the total amount of $50 million USD.
• Bank participation is supported by its crisis risk platform, and its regional strategy for East Asia and the Pacific.