The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an additional US$12.6 million grant to strengthen disaster preparedness and urban resilience in Greater Port Vila, Vanuatu’s principal economic and commercial centre.
Announced on 29 September, the financing forms part of the Greater Port Vila Urban Resilience Project and will support new multipurpose emergency shelters and improvements to disaster planning and preparedness.
The ADB grant, provided through the Asian Development Fund, is complemented by US$5.6 million from the Green Climate Fund and an in-kind contribution of US$700,000 from the Vanuatu Government, bringing the latest financing package to approximately US$18.9 million.
The funds will support construction of three multipurpose emergency shelters in the communities of Agathis, Freshwind and Nambatri.
Designed to withstand natural hazards, the facilities will provide emergency accommodation for vulnerable residents during disasters while serving as community gathering places and markets during normal periods.
The program will also develop an emergency shelter strategy to assess existing capacity, identify gaps and guide future investment priorities.
ADB Regional Director for the Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office Jyotsana Varma said Vanuatu faced growing exposure to increasingly frequent and severe natural hazards.
The additional financing, she said, would build on existing investments in emergency shelter infrastructure and strengthen arrangements for maintaining the facilities over the longer term.
ADB expects the broader project to directly benefit at least 23,400 people by 2031, including approximately 11,700 women.
The programme began in 2020 with an initial US$9.6 million grant, followed by US$2.9 million in additional financing in 2022. Earlier investments supported urban resilience planning, infrastructure improvements and nature-based coastal protection measures.
Vanuatu is particularly vulnerable to cyclones, earthquakes and other natural hazards, making resilient infrastructure an economic as well as a humanitarian priority.
Port Vila’s role as the country’s main administrative, commercial and tourism centre means disruption to roads, services, businesses and public facilities can have consequences for the wider economy.
The investment is therefore expected to help reduce disaster-related disruption while supporting safer urban development.
The program also demonstrates the continuing role of development financing in creating opportunities for infrastructure construction, technical services, engineering and long-term facilities management across the Pacific.
