INTRODUCTION
In preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) regional consultation for the Pacific,1 scheduled to take place in Auckland, New Zealand from 30 June to 2 July 2015, extensive stakeholder consultations were held across the region. The objective of these consultations was to identify priority humanitarian challenges and opportunities facing the Pacific and lay the foundation for further discussions and recommendations in Auckland. The report captures the main outcomes of the preparatory stakeholder consultations. It complements the Pacific region scoping paper2 that was developed earlier in 2015, and is put forward as a think piece to stimulate discussions at the regional consultation meeting. The outcomes from Auckland will feed into the WHS thematic and global consultations, the report of the Secretary-General on WHS and eventually the World Humanitarian Summit that will take place in Istanbul in May 2016.
A total of 1,428 people were consulted for this analysis across the Pacific region, from remote disaster-affected communities to government officials in capitals and beyond. The main focus of the consultations was on affected communities and how local, national and international partners can best support them in responding to and recovering from disasters. Stakeholders reminded that affected communities are not monoliths, but consist of groups with diverse needs, cultures and traditions and that a wholesale approach to humanitarian assistance therefore is not ideal. To ensure that humanitarian assistance is appropriate and tailored to people’s needs, communities must be at the centre of all efforts, both humanitarian and development.