Disasters, Conflicts and Migration 

Comprising 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island, Kiribati is dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometers, and this presents special logistical challenges for food supply chain. Aside from fish and a small number of vegetables, all food and other supplies are imported from either Australia, China, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, or Singapore. 

Outer islands receive supplies by sea transport from Tarawa, or in the case of the Phoenix and Line Islands, from Christmas Island. Transportation to outer islands is a bottleneck to service delivery due to high freight costs and limited options available. Disruption or delays in international or inter-island shipping due to global shocks, adverse weather conditions, etc., can result in shortage of staples such as rice and grains. Local markets cannot meet local demand so it would not be able to scale up in the event of a shock or disaster. 

For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters Country Profile. 

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities 

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response 

GOVERNMENT 

The Office of Te Beretitenti (Office of the President) has oversight for the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO). There is a National Disaster Risk Management Plan in place which provides a framework for effective disaster planning and execution within a disaster risk management structure. The National Disaster Risk Management Plan defines the phases for disaster risk management in Kiribati (readiness to long-term recovery) and the roles and responsibilities of government agencies during each phase. The NDMO has been working with UN agencies to formalise Standard Operating Procedures to ensure they are able to collaborate with UN and other humanitarian organisations during emergency relief operations. 

Kiribati does not have a military force and there are no defence or civil defence assets. The Police have a patrol boat that is utilised during an emergency rescue operation, and they work with the NDMO during major relief operations. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:  4.1 Government Contact List  

HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Red Cross Society, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (RCO), UN Women and World Health Organization (WHO) have staff based permanently in Kiribati and some UN agencies have consultants in-country providing short-term support. There are also non-government organisations who are doing tremendous humanitarian work across Kiribati. Find below information on a few of the agencies operating in Kiribati. 

Red Cross has prepositioned two containers with non-food items (NFIs), and they coordinate closely with the NDMO during emergency operations. The remaining NFIs are stored at the Red Cross office in Betio. 

UNFPA works closely with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services with regards to the supply and distribution of NFIs such as dignity kits. UNFPA does not maintain any storage space in Tarawa; when NFIs are brought into Kiribati, they are taken directly to the partner government ministry e.g. Ministry of Health and Medical Services. UNFPA have started re-packaging the kits into buckets which can serve a dual purpose and reduces waste. 

UNICEF works closely with the Government of Kiribati in the areas of health, nutrition, immunisation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), education and child protection including cross-cutting areas such as climate change and gender. The main government partners are Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy, Ministry of Justice, Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands Development. UNICEF also works with non-government organisations (Child Fund and Kiribati Local Government Association) on WASH. UNICEF has staff based in South Tarawa and four staff members based on Christmas Island who look after WASH activities for Christmas Island, Tabuaeran (Fanning Island) and Teraina (Washington Island). While UNICEF has two 20’ containers, the containers currently only store backpacks, School-in-a-box kits and tents. UNICEF is currently exploring other storage options within Tarawa. UNICEF has supplies pre-positioned at the Suva warehouse in Fiji and at the Palladium warehouse in Brisbane, Australia which can be deployed quickly to Kiribati if needed. Based on previous experiences, UNICEF is now ensuring that they remain as the consignee for all UNICEF shipments coming into Kiribati to enhance tracking and accountability. UNICEF does not have any LTAs in Kiribati, so they are adhering to the three-quote process for all procurement. 

The Mormon Church has pre-positioned items stored in a 20’ container at the Moroni Campus in Eita Village. An inventory listing is maintained and updated. There is some space in the container and the Mormon Church is willing to cooperate with other humanitarian partners if necessary.  

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List  

Customs Administration & Enforcement 

Background Information 

The Kiribati Customs Administration & Enforcement (KCAE) is one of the departments under the Ministry of Finance & Economic Development (MFED). There are three major functions that KCAE looks after namely: 1) Revenue collection, 2) Trade facilitation and 3) Border security/management. The KCAE main office is in Betio close to Betio Port and situated near the copra mill. There is one branch in Kiritimati Island and two checkpoints that have now been outsourced to Police to accommodate small crafts (yachts) and cruise liners in Fanning Island and Kanton Island. 

At each of the port entries (aside from Fanning and Kanton Islands), KCAE has a full team working at each station. The following table is the current structure for officers deployed to man the stations: 

PCO – Principal Customs Officer 

SCO – Senior Customs Officer 

CO – Customs Officer  

ACO – Assistant Customs Officer  

Note that the Customs Branch in Kiritimati Island is manned by the officers stationed there and they are working together to deliver services at both Cassidy Airport and Kiritimati Seaport for cargo clearance and passenger processing.  

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below: 4.1 Government Contact List 

Emergency Response: 

[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to ‘crisis’ times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government. When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.] 

In the following table, state which of the following agreements and conventions apply to the country and if there are any other existing ones. 

During a State of Emergency, the KCAE works closely with the operator and the Office of Te Beretitenti (OB) to ensure that the relief consignments are cleared and delivered without delay. KCAE officers can work outside working hours and be on stand-by during these periods. 

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response):  

[Note: This section contains information on the usual duties & taxes exemption regime during non-emergency times, when there is no declared state of emergency and no streamlines process (e.g. regular importations/development/etc.).] 

Under the Value Added Tax Act 2013, Import duties have been phased out in favour of a general VAT. Duty is waivered for aid donors or similar agreements signed off by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. 

Exemptions from VAT can be obtained for humanitarian goods by applying to the MFED through its Secretariat with a letter stating the nature and purpose of such goods. A cover letter will be issued from MFED Administration to the Comptroller of Customs for his appropriate action in line with the Exemptions Policy which will be applied for such requests.  

The OB and KCAE are currently working on how to eliminate delays during a state of emergency and to make sure that humanitarian cargoes are given the express release needed. This needs input from other agencies who also have their own laws on imported goods. 

All Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and humanitarian agencies can operate in the country and apply for tax free importation of humanitarian relief items. 

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure:  

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements 

Customs Clearance 

General Information  

Customs Clearance Document Requirements 

Transit Regime 

There is no official transit regime for goods in Kiribati. It is not an official transit country for any other destinations given its geographic location. It is however, sometimes used as transit for goods bound for the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu by Pacific Direct Line (PDL). However, for fisheries, Kiribati port is one of the busiest ports for mothership vessels to anchor and conduct their fish transhipment for up to six months depending on the catch they receive and then ship the fish out of Kiribati.