Vanuatu – French emergency aid following the passage of cyclones Judy and Kevin (5 March 2023)

Joint communique issued by the ministry for Europe and Foreign affairs, the ministry of the Interior and overseas france and the ministry for the Armed forces

In response to the population’s most urgent needs and the Vanuatu authorities’ requests, France has mobilized and assures the Vanuatu people of its solidarity. Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas France, on an official visit to Vanuatu, confirmed to Ishmael Kalsakau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, France’s commitment to provide aid and assistance to that State, which is a neighbour in the Pacific and a friend.

Three reconnaissance flights over the disaster areas, aimed at identifying the nature and scale of the damage, were conducted by the Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC), constituting the first international aid response.

The FANC also deployed a French navy overseas support and assistance ship. It docked at Port Vila early on Sunday morning. It contains nearly 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid from stock at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) based in Nouméa, meeting the needs of 1,000 people (family tents, tarpaulins, adult and child health kits, cooking kits, jerry cans, solar lamps etc.), and response and rescue detachments from the Armed Forces in New Caledonia and New Caledonia’s civil security and risk management department. A military aircraft also delivered humanitarian aid on Sunday and a second delivery will follow on Monday.

The emergency operation, coordinated with the High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia, in collaboration with the New Caledonian Government, falls within the framework of the FRANZ mechanism for regional coordination of humanitarian assistance in the event of a natural disaster in the Pacific island States. It is being implemented in close coordination with our Australian and New Zealand partners.