(L-R) Fabian Randerath (FBC Resilience Committee Chair ), Tarun Patel (FBC Chief Executive) and Kamal Kishore (SRSG for DRR)

The Fijian Broadcasting Corporation has officially handed over its Resilience Action Plan to the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction today.

This makes FBC the first broadcaster in the South Pacific to create a detailed Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan.

At the recent Pacific Media Partnership Conference in Suva, the need for every broadcaster to have a DPRP was emphasized in the Joint Commitment of ABU members, underlining the importance of disaster preparedness in the media sector.

SRSG for DRR, Kamal Kishore says broadcasters are key during disasters and FBC’s plan guarantees the delivery of early warning messages.

“One of the things that we promote at UNDRR is that disaster risk reduction is not just the business of the disaster management office, but everybody’s business. This really exemplifies that you’ve embraced the notion of disaster risk reduction and resilience building in your operation.”

Kishore says while good forecasts and warnings are made before disasters, the means of sharing them can be affected

FBC Chief Executive Officer Tarun Patel says the idea of this plan is to keep staff safe, while also keeping the nation informed.

“We are mandated under the essential services to provide much needed services particularly when disasters about to strike or have done so.”

FBC Resilience Committee Chair, Fabian Randerath, says the plan’s dual purpose is to ensure sustainability and ensuring the safety of both the organization and the nation during disasters.

“It was quite challenging and took a while to compile. We started the process in 2022 and officially launched it last year. Today, we are handing it over to the UN. I’ve heard that we are one of the first global media organizations to launch a Resilience Action Plan.”

He adds that it is important for FBC to stay operational during times of disaster, with news team always provided the right gears and communication methods as part of the broadcaster’s responsibility to keeping the nation informed.

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