There is a call in Fiji for young people to be included in training on disaster preparedness.
Local youths get back to fun and games on Taveuni Island Fiji after Cyclone Winston Photo: Alex Perrottet/RNZ
This was an issue raised during a workshop considering the revamp of legislation on disaster management practices in Fiji.
The NGO Ignite4Change said education in disaster preparedness through the school system would enhance skills, improve knowledge and provide support and opportunities for youth.
Spokesman Broderick Mervyn said this sort of involvement is key to Fiji, and other parts of the Pacific, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
He said the participation of young people is one of the gaps that needs to be addressed in the current legislation.
"Often young people have been left out of that discussion, and the decision making, with regard to the MDMO [Ministry of Disaster Management Office] Act of 1998 is that young people are sort of the last to be attended to or the last people that the National Disaster Management Office and other agencies look into."
