Small island states are vulnerable to disasters, including earthquakes. Still, the world was surprised when a 7.3-magnitude quake struck Vanuatu on Dec. 17, 2024. This disaster that happened close to Port Vila took the lives of 14 individuals and left 265 injured. According to a report from Radio New Zealand, Vanuatu needed an estimated 29 billion vatu, or about $231 million, to recover from this calamity. The country also needed around two years to rebuild the nation’s capital. With this, global support pours in for Vanuatu earthquake disaster recovery efforts.
The World Bank expedited $12 million for Vanuatu’s recovery and emergency response. This assistance from the International Development Association—the World Bank’s fund for the most impoverished nations—is provided through the Rapid Response Option (RRO), a new, quick, and flexible way to get crisis response funding.
The RRO is an aspect of the enhanced Crisis Preparedness and Response Toolkit. This expansion from the World Bank started in June 2023. This initiative allows nations to repurpose a portion of previously approved but underutilized World Bank money to meet emergency needs. Eight other Pacific Island nations have agreed to use RROs in case of an emergency. With RRO not carrying any repayment responsibilities, Vanuatu will concentrate its resources on relief and reconstruction operations right away.
Similarly, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pledged $5 million in contingent disaster financing to assist the Vanuatu earthquake disaster recovery efforts and emergency. This grant is from the fifth phase of the Pacific Disaster Resilience Program, which encourages policy changes for resilience and offers quick-access funding. The Asian Development Fund supported this with a $21 million grant and a $20 million concessional loan, which assists the most disadvantaged members of the ADB.
Stephen N. Ndegwa, the World Bank’s Country Director for the Pacific and Papua New Guinea, pledged solidarity for the Vanuatuan people while acknowledging the earthquake’s impacts, including fatalities and extensive destruction. He underlined the organization’s support as the nation embarks on recovery and reconstruction activities in the days and weeks ahead. “This disaster will also hit Vanuatu’s economy hard, with damage to infrastructure and commerce in Port Vila during peak tourism season. We hope this assistance will contribute to Vanuatu’s fast recovery, restore jobs, and provide vital assistance to those who need it most.”
Aside from these major development banks, the British High Commission in Port Vila donated GDP£400,000 ($496,880) to UNICEF Pacific in order to help children impacted by the Vanuatu earthquake. According to the commission, this funding will be useful in restoring safe learning environments with adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities as well as supplying instructional materials.
Vanuatu’s Ministry of Education and Training reported that to rebuild the 45 damaged schools, most of which are in Port Vila, the country needs $8 million. According to Polly Banks, Save the Children’s country director, 13,000 children are affected by the earthquake. They will need a temporary learning solution when they resume their classes.
Another important pillar in Vanuatu’s road to recovery is the private sector. Local businesses provided necessities, such as refrigerated containers for Vila Central Hospital. With their cooperation, basic services like banks, supermarkets, and insurance firms were opened days after the earthquake. They are also partnering with the government to rebuild the capital.