Volcanic hazards and emergency management in the Southwest Pacific

Summary

A workshop of volcanologists and disaster managers was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 24-28 February 1997. It was focused on Volcanic Hazards and Emergency Management in the Southwest Pacific. The workshop received technical and scientific input from the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) and its affiliated commission, the World Organisation of Volcano Observatories (WOVO), the UNDP Project "South Pacific Disaster Reduction Program", and the Australian Academy of Sciences.

The meeting was initiated by IAVCEI/WOVO and organised in conjunction with the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC). It received primary financial support from the Government of France and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), together with some assistance from New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

There were 37 participants, representing all Southwest Pacific Countries. There was a mixture of science (volcanological and geological) and disaster management personnel, with the national representatives holding key-senior positions, i.e. Head of Unit, Director, Secretary, Commissioner, etc. A list of participants is presented in Appendix I. Although Indonesia lies outside the South Pacific region, they attended as technical advisers. Only Papua New Guinea (PNG), Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands have any technical capability for volcano-surveillance and only PNG has any hazards/vulnerability/risk analysis capability.