1.1 Kiribati Humanitarian Background | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments

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.

Natural Disasters
Type	Occurs	Comments / Details
Drought	Yes	The primary type of drought affecting Kiribati is meteorological drought. Droughts are a frequent occurrence usually linked to the La Nina events which have the potential to reduce annual rainfall to less than 750mm (UNDRR, 2019).
Earthquakes	Yes	Earthquakes are considered low risk but there was a moderate 5.1 magnitude earthquake in January 2018 in the Line Islands (Volcano Discovery, 2018). There is a 40% chance that Kiribati will experience at least one weak level of ground shaking from an earthquake in the next 50 years.
Epidemics	Yes	Dengue Fever, Chikungunya and Hepatitis B are prevalent.
Extreme Temperatures	No	N/A
Flooding	Yes	Flooding occurs regularly because of king tides and storms. Citizens are likely to start losing their homes soon if they have not already.
Insect Infestation	Yes	Disease carrying and crop eating insects are present.
Mudslides	No	N/A
Volcanic Eruptions	No	N/A
High Waves / Surges	Yes	Land elevation is less than 2.5 meters. Kiribati is experiencing increases in wave height and frequency which is placing more pressure on the islands and seawalls (Reynolds, 2022).
Wildfires	No	Christmas Island does experience regular bush fires during drought.
High Winds	Yes	Tropical cyclones whilst not prevalent in these latitudes can have indirect effects (Pam 2015, Tia 1995).
Other Comments	Kiribati faces a diverse set of risks from climate change. Potential threats to human well-being and natural ecosystems include increased prevalence of heatwave and drought, intensified cyclones, saline intrusion, wave-driven flooding, and permanent inundation. Biodiversity and the natural environment face extreme pressure and loss of some species of fish, coral, bird, and terrestrial species is likely without effective conservation measures (World Bank, 2021).
Man-made Issues
Civil Strife	No	N/A
International Conflict	No	N/A
Internally Displaced Persons	No	N/A
Refugees Present	No	N/A
Landmines / UXO Present	No	N/A
Other Comments	N/A

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

Seasonal Effects on Transport
Transport Type	Timeframe	Comments / Details
Primary Road Transport	Wet season: November to January	Heavy rain may impede transport for up to a week due to surface flooding. High and king tides are more problematic and can result in surface flooding 2–3 times a month. During the update of the logistics capacity assessment in February 2024, continuous heavy rain was experienced a few times over the course of three weeks.
Secondary Road Transport	November to January	As above.
Rail Transport	N/A	There is no rail transport.
Air Transport	None	Generally, air transport is not affected seasonally.
Waterway Transport	None	Generally, waterway transport is not affected seasonally.

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling
Activity Type	Timeframe	Comments / Details
Storage	Wet season: November to January	Heavy rain and storm surges may result in perishable goods being damaged if stored at sites prone to flooding.
Handling	Wet season: November to January	Heavy rain and storm surges may result in perishable goods being damaged during loading/unloading and transporting.
Other	N/A	N/A

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