𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The Pacific Partnership 2023 (PP23) mission conducted over the last two weeks within the country has shown deeper connections for building resilience and solidarity within the Pacific Region. The PP 23 mission conducted tailored humanitarian and civic preparedness activities in areas such as engineering, disaster response, public health, and Fijian outreach events in Suva, Nadi, and Labasa.

USS Pearl Harbor Lieutenant Commander Gonzalez said that the opportunity to work with institutions that operate during Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations over the years has improved the resilience status of Pacific Island countries. He said that it was crucial to form stronger networks in order to assist each other during natural diasters.

“There are opportunities for us to develop something new, such as our coast guard working with the Fiji Navy here to revise the policy that they currently have, and a lot of that stuff has been talked about over the last ten months, including the disaster the happened in Vanuatu, as you can see that we are still here meaning that the region is getting better at responding to natural disasters and if not, we would be there right now.” Lieutenant Commander Gonzalez said.

Furthermore, USS Pearl Harbor Commander-Officer Commander Sameer Khanna said that PP23 has continued to build on the foundation of humanitarian assistance disaster relief and has assisted in establishing abilities and cooperation between different nations working together to respond to natural disasters in the region.

“For us, it is important to understand when we go and do HADR anywhere what are the options we have of providing that assistance . . . so having reliable information that is readily available to share between all the nations here is important to have it already established.” Commander Sameer Khanna said.

The delegation of PP23 led by Mission Commander, Captain [Navy] Claudine Caluori, initially paid a courtesy visit to the Commander RFMF Maj-Gen Kalouniwai, where he was updated on the progress of PP23’s diverse lines of effort. The mission of PP23 also supports the RFMF’s key strategic priority where efforts of the institution are placed on local and regional HADR operations as a crucial aspect of responding to issues surrounding climate change.