Papua New Guinea - IOM, working in close partnership with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government’s National Disaster Centre (NDC), has developed and handed over an Information Management System (IMS) that will be used to collect, analyze, report and store information on disaster and displacement incidents in the country.

With support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), channeled through the One UN fund, the “Promoting Durable Solutions for Transition and Recovery of Displaced Persons and Disaster Affected Communities in Papua New Guinea (KOLGA)” IMS tool will enable the NDC to strengthen evidence-based responses to natural and man-made disasters through improved planning, decision making and reporting on emergency and disaster incidents.

IOM delivered the IMS training, which was the first of its kind in PNG, from 27 February to 2 March, to 14 male and one female participants working in disaster-affected provinces identified by the NDC and Provincial Disaster Centres.

The four-day training, which also addressed the cross-cutting themes of gender-mainstreaming and rights based programming, will enable the participants to collect, analyze, share and store information related to emergency, disaster and displacement events.

Disaster preparedness, management and response in PNG continue to be a challenge, largely owing to a lack of empirical data. The use of the IMS will greatly assist the NDC to more effectively target responses to disaster-affected communities, and also maintain accurate records of those who have been displaced as a result of natural and man-made disasters.

The IMS will be rolled out in Gulf, Morobe, Oro, Madang, East New Britain and West New Britain Provinces. Together, IOM and the NDC are leading the way in utilizing the IMS towards reducing risks that natural disasters pose to vulnerable communities.

Participants like Donald Tokunai, who has worked in the area of disaster management for the East New Britain Province for a number of years observed: “The IMS will empower professionals like me to make informed decisions and in turn manage disasters more efficiently.”

IOM PNG Chief of Mission Lance Bonneau underscored the importance of such a training. “Effective data management ultimately means saving lives through better enabling humanitarian responders to deliver timely and appropriate evidence based assistance to those in need,” he said.

In support of the rollout of the IMS, IOM donated 20 laptops, 20 modems, six tablets and a cloud server to the NDC to facilitate data gathering and management through the IMS at the national and sub-national levels.

NDC Acting Director Martin Mose said: “The IMS platform has filled a huge gap that has been a hindrance in providing real-time aid to disaster affected communities.”

Bonneau noted: “This IMS data gathering tool will not only enhance immediate disaster and emergency response efforts, it will also help to reduce vulnerability and contribute to the government’s long-term efforts to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.”

For more information, please contact IOM PNG. Wonesai Sithole, Tel. +67570316355, Email: wsithole@iom.int or Pauline Mago-King, Email: pmagoking@iom.int.