IOM Fiji

17/06/2026

🌏 Shaping Vanuatu’s approach to displacement and planned relocation: How do we move from responding to disasters to planning for the future?

This was at the centre of a two-day National Stakeholder Workshop, hosted by the Ministry of Climate Change and IOM last week (8-9 June) in Port Vila. 🇻🇺

Government ministries, provincial authorities, civil society and partners came together to discuss Vanuatu’s efforts to address displacement and planned relocation.

The workshop aimed to:
✅ Validate the updated 2026 National Policy on Climate Change and Disaster-Displacement Policy
✅ Explore practical inputs for Planned Relocation Guidelines, grounded in operational and lived realities

As displacement risks from natural hazards and climate change continue to intensify, addressing displacement is not only a humanitarian issue - it is a long-term development and climate change challenge. Vanuatu's Acting Director of Department of Climate Change, Nelson Kalo, emphasized that we must ‘shift from reactive thinking to proactive resilience’ building - anticipating and minimizing risks, and planning ahead through long-term guidelines and strategies. Strong coordination is further required across ministries and levels of government alongside clear roles and shared responsibility. Director of National Disaster Management Office, Abraham Nasak, underscored this by highlighting the importance of the different ministries and provincial offices coming together to not only develop a nationally-owned policy but also to identify how best to implement it. 🤝🏽🏛️

With support from the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund and the IOM Development Fund, IOM Vanuatu is supporting these government-led efforts to strengthen coordination and institutional arrangements to address displacement. The updated National Displacement Policy and Planned Relocation Guidelines mark an important step towards more proactive, planned approaches that can contribute to reducing displacement risks and strengthening community resilience. 🌿🏡

16/06/2026

Tonga Advances Work on e-Passport Initiative

In early June 2026, the Government of Tonga convened a Project Working Group meeting in Nuku‘alofa to advance discussions on its E-Passport Project. The meeting brought together 18 representatives from key ministries and agencies to review progress and consider preliminary findings from an ongoing feasibility study.

The assessment, conducted through a partnership between Immigration Tonga and INCERT of Luxembourg, has engaged several national stakeholders, including the Civil Registry Office, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Immigration Department. The study is examining existing systems, security frameworks, and inter-agency processes that underpin passport issuance in Tonga.

The feasibility study will provide an evidence-based assessment of the country’s readiness to introduce electronic passports, identifying priorities for strengthening digital identity management, data security, and supporting infrastructure.

Discussions during the meeting underscored the importance of strong collaboration across government institutions to ensure that future passport services are secure, efficient, and aligned with international standards.

This Working Group meeting marks a key milestone in the E-Passport Project and will help inform the next phase of planning and implementation.

15/06/2026

On the International Day of Family Remittances, IOM recognizes the essential role remittances play in supporting families, strengthening communities and sustaining development across seas. These contributions are more than financial transfers — they are expressions of resilience, commitment and care. 👨‍👩‍👦✨

In Fiji, the Family‑Centred Assistance to PALM Scheme Workers (FCA‑PALM) programme, developed by IOM in partnership with the Fiji Government and the Australian Government, is helping families prepare for the emotional and practical realities of labour mobility. Through the Fiji Family Focus workshop, families learn to stay connected during separation, manage household finances and remittances and plan for reintegration when workers return home.

📖🔗 Read more about how the FCA‑PALM programme is strengthening family bonds and supporting the well‑being of PALM workers across Fiji, Tonga and Samoa:

Sigatoka, Fiji — When the sun rose over Malevu Village, the first Fiji Family Focus workshop was already underway. Among those seated in the community hall was

15/06/2026

Today, on the International Day of Family Remittances, IOM celebrates the millions of migrants whose hard‑earned contributions act as lifelines for families and communities worldwide, helping them access food, education, healthcare and opportunity while driving local development, strengthening rural and crisis‑affected areas and empowering women and youth to build resilient, hopeful futures.🌍

14/06/2026

From heartbreak to hope🌱

Tukuraki shows what true recovery looks like when a community rebuilds together. Their lived experience didn’t just restore a village; it helped shape Fiji’s relocation SOPs, the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility and the Pacific Regional Guidance on Planned Relocation — now guiding safer, more dignified climate mobility across the Pacific 🌊✨

Read the full story here: https://storyteller.iom.int/stories/village-shaped-fijis-approach-relocation

11 Jun 2026 The Village That Shaped Fiji’s Approach to Relocation Young people from Tukuraki proudly guide visitors through their village, reflecting the confidence and optimism of a community rebuilding for the future. Photo: IOM/Shakshi Priyeta Tukuraki, Fiji – “I still remember that Tuesday...

11/06/2026

Here’s what the Vanua has to say about shaping Fiji’s planned relocation journey, voiced collectively during the 'Vanua Ready' training.💬

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

Through the IOM Development Fund (IOMDF), IOM - UN Migration is working in close partnership with the Government of Vanuatu and local communities to address complex mobility challenges from labour mobility and counter‑trafficking to climate‑induced displacement.

▶️ Watch the video to see how, together with our partners, we are making migration safer, better governed, and more responsive to the needs of the people of Vanuatu:

How can migration truly support development, protection, and resili...

04/06/2026

🌱Today is World Environment Day — a reminder that protecting our planet means protecting people. 🌏

This year, we highlight a milestone for the Pacific and for communities worldwide: the Climate Justice Resolution adopted at the UN General Assembly championed by Pacific youth and supported by countries across the region.

The resolution calls on the International Court of Justice to clarify states’ obligations on climate action; a powerful step toward ensuring that those most affected by climate change are not left behind.

For the Pacific, where rising seas, extreme weather and environmental degradation threaten lives, livelihoods and cultural identity, this is more than a legal process.

It is a call for fairness, accountability and a safer future for all.🫂

At IOM, we stand with communities on the frontlines, supporting resilience, mobility and climate‑informed solutions that protect people and preserve dignity.

On World Environment Day, we reaffirm that climate justice is people‑centered justice — and the Pacific is leading the way. 🙌

03/06/2026

Building stronger evacuation preparedness in Vanuatu 🇻🇺

Last week in Port Vila (25-29 May), government and partner agencies came together to strengthen how evacuation centres are managed during emergencies.

Through a Training of Trainers and simulation exercise under the Sef Ples Blong Yumi Phase II project, participants didn’t just learn the National Evacuation Centre Management Guidelines - they practiced them in real-life scenarios.

From coordination exercises to a hands-on visit to a safe shelter, participants gained practical experience in:

✅managing evacuation centres 🏠
✅registering displaced people📝
✅working together across agencies during emergencies🤝

By the end of the training, participants are now ready to support rollout in their provinces and communities as both evacuation centre managers and trainers.🌱

This activity was led by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), with IOM Vanuatu as co-lead of the Displacement and Evacuation Centre Management (DECM) Cluster, in collaboration with partners.

With support from the Australian Government (DFAT), the next step is to expand training nationwide and strengthen preparedness at community level. 🇦🇺

IOM Vanuatu Australian High Commission, Vanuatu Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade🌺