UNESCO is expanding efforts to protect living heritage across Small Island Developing States (SIDS), arguing that traditional knowledge systems are increasingly essential to disaster preparedness and climate resilience as island nations face rising environmental threats.

From the Pacific to the Caribbean, communities are using inherited practices such as cyclone-resistant housing, traditional medicine, oral storytelling, food preservation and weaving not only to preserve cultural identity, but also to respond to increasingly severe climate pressures including rising sea levels, volcanic activity, floods, cyclones and displacement.

UNESCO said these practices, often passed down through generations, represent both vulnerable cultural assets and practical tools for survival, particularly in remote communities with limited access to formal infrastructure.

Small Island Developing States account for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet remain among the most exposed to the consequences of climate change because of their geography, dependence on natural resources and vulnerability to extreme weather events.

In response, UNESCO, with financial support from the Government of Japan, launched a regional project involving communities in Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Belize and The Bahamas to strengthen the role of intangible cultural heritage in disaster risk reduction.

The project focused on documenting community practices, supporting transmission of traditional knowledge and connecting local communities with disaster management authorities so cultural knowledge could be integrated into formal resilience planning.

UNESCO said the approach reflects a broader recognition that living heritage can serve as both a safeguard and a response mechanism during emergencies.On Vanuatu’s Tanna Island, for example, community member Warau Frederick described traditional cyclone shelter construction as both cultural preservation and physical protection.

Vanuatu is among the countries most exposed to climate-related disasters in the Pacific, regularly facing cyclones, volcanic eruptions and displacement pressures. Communities there continue to rely on long-established building methods using local materials and inherited techniques to construct shelters capable of withstanding severe weather.

Frederick said he learned the process from his uncle and chose to build a shelter for his family before cyclone season, reflecting how traditional architecture remains embedded in everyday preparedness.Traditional weaving also remains economically significant in the same communities.

Eva Namri, a community member on Tanna Island and a knowledge bearer of traditional weaving, said the practice serves as a financial safety net during periods of hardship.“Weaving brings a great deal of income to my family,” Namri said. “It supports us whenever we face financial difficulties.

The biggest challenge for weaving comes from natural disasters.”UNESCO said such examples show how cultural practices operate simultaneously as economic resilience tools and heritage systems, particularly where formal income opportunities are limited.

Across the Caribbean, communities participating in the project focused on preserving food systems and traditional medicine as part of local resilience strategies.

In Fiji, where flooding and environmental changes increasingly threaten food security, communities relied on traditional fishing, farming methods and collective cooperation to maintain access to food.

In Vanuatu, people facing repeated displacement from volcanic activity and cyclones used early warning knowledge, gardening systems and traditional housing practices to reduce vulnerability.In Tonga, communities displaced by a volcanic eruption and tsunami emphasized the importance of oral traditions and craft practices not only for cultural continuity but also for mental well-being and livelihood recovery after disaster.

UNESCO said the project also created longer-term institutional foundations by identifying community members to serve as Intangible Cultural Heritage ambassadors, responsible for helping sustain and transmit traditional practices beyond the duration of the program.These local ambassadors were tasked with ensuring knowledge transfer, particularly in communities facing relocation or demographic shifts that risk interrupting intergenerational learning.

For many participants, the initiative also had direct economic implications.Feleti Akauola, a community member from Atata in Tonga, said relocation after disaster created uncertainty over how families could rebuild sustainable livelihoods.

He said guidance from Sitiveni Fehoko, a community trainer and intangible cultural heritage ambassador, helped communities think about traditional knowledge not only as preservation, but as a source of income and long-term stability.

“One of the key aspects of the project was that it strengthened me in many ways,” Akauola said. “It explained ways we could earn a living, especially for those of us who had been relocated. This was very encouraging, and it gave me and my wife the idea to start our work and make a living for our family.”UNESCO said this illustrates how cultural safeguarding increasingly intersects with economic adaptation, particularly in island states where environmental shocks can quickly translate into displacement, unemployment and food insecurity

.The agency has argued that disaster planning should not treat heritage solely as something to be protected after crisis, but as an active component of prevention and recovery strategies.As climate risks intensify globally, UNESCO said living heritage offers continuity that extends beyond formal emergency responses, helping communities retain identity while adapting to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

The organization said the project also raised awareness of vulnerable traditions that may otherwise disappear as migration, urbanization and repeated disasters disrupt local transmission systems.Even in cases of displacement, UNESCO found that communities continued practicing oral traditions, crafts and local environmental knowledge, reinforcing the adaptability of living heritage under pressure.

The initiative aligns with broader United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to climate resilience, cultural sustainability and inclusive development, particularly in regions where environmental vulnerability and cultural preservation are closely linked.UNESCO said future efforts will continue to focus on integrating heritage protection into national disaster reduction policies while supporting local ownership of cultural safeguarding.

For Small Island Developing States, the agency said, resilience increasingly depends not only on infrastructure and funding, but also on whether communities can retain the knowledge systems that have helped them survive for generations.

Governments across the Western Pacific are strengthening systems to manage health information during emergencies, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting measurable gains in risk communication and community engagement capacity under sustained pandemic preparedness investments.

In a feature released on April 17, WHO said countries in the Western Pacific Region have increasingly institutionalised evidence-based approaches to communication, as the rapid spread of informationoften accompanied by misinformation poses a growing challenge during health crises.

The organisation said effective communication systems are critical to ensuring that populations receive timely, accurate and actionable guidance during outbreaks.According to WHO, progress in strengthening risk communication and community engagement, commonly referred to as RCCE, has been supported by financing under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework Partnership Contribution.

These investments have enabled collaboration between WHO and national governments to embed RCCE into broader pandemic preparedness strategies.Improvements are reflected in findings from the State Party Self-Assessment Annual Report, a monitoring tool used to evaluate national capacities under the International Health Regulations.

WHO said that since 2012, average RCCE scores across the region have increased by seven points, indicating steady progress. Countries in the Mekong subregion recorded a significantly larger improvement, with scores rising by 38 points following targeted technical assistance supported through PIP funding.WHO said these gains demonstrate how sustained and predictable investment can translate into stronger institutional capacity and improved resilience at both national and regional levels.

The organisation noted that a key focus has been the integration of social and behavioural insights into communication strategies, allowing authorities to better understand how populations perceive and respond to health risks.Consultations among member states identified the need for practical tools to support this shift, leading to the rollout of the Behavioural Research and Intelligence for Directed Guidance in Emergencies, or BRIDGE, approach across the region.

WHO describes BRIDGE as a framework comprising technical tools for data collection, alongside networks spanning academia, media, healthcare professionals and community organisations.The approach is designed to incorporate socio-cultural and behavioural data into preparedness planning, enabling health authorities to translate public perceptions and behaviours into targeted communication strategies during emergencies.

WHO said this has contributed to more coordinated and consistent messaging across countries in the region.As part of this effort, WHO has introduced tools for social listening, including an online monitoring system that allows countries to track health-related rumours, misinformation and public concerns in real time.

The platform, supported by a regional dashboard, has been made accessible to all member states, with training provided to national health authorities.According to WHO, member states produced more than 145 infodemic insight reports in 2025, focusing on COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.

These reports are used to identify information gaps and guide communication strategies aimed at addressing public concerns and countering misinformation.Countries receiving targeted support under the PIP framework have applied these tools in outbreak responses.

WHO said ministries of health in Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam have developed the capacity to conduct social listening and generate real-time insights. In Lao PDR, these capabilities were deployed during a dengue outbreak in 2025, while Cambodia used social listening data to adjust its community response during an avian influenza A(H5N1) outbreak the same year.

WHO noted that insights indicating low perceived risk among communities were incorporated into public messaging and outreach efforts.The organisation said these initiatives have contributed to the institutionalisation of evidence-based RCCE practices across the region. Countries are increasingly integrating mechanisms to address misinformation and disinformation into pandemic preparedness plans and standard operating procedures.

In Cambodia, health authorities, WHO and partner organisations have collaborated to develop new procedures for managing health-related misinformation. Dr Srey Teng, Deputy Director of Cambodia’s Communicable Disease Control Department, said the approach is centred on early engagement and coordinated messaging.

“An infodemic can be managed when we listen to the public and communities, act on evidence and speak with one voice,” Teng said in the WHO report, adding that timely responses are essential to prevent misinformation from spreading.WHO said technical support under the PIP framework has enabled countries to embed these practices into national systems, ensuring that communication strategies are not limited to emergency response but form part of ongoing preparedness efforts.

This includes the integration of social listening and infodemic management into official planning documents and operational guidelines.In Tonga, WHO support contributed to the development of a National Multi-Hazard Risk Communication and Community Engagement Strategy, reflecting a broader shift towards formalising communication frameworks across the region.

WHO said the evolving information environment, characterised by rapid dissemination of both accurate and misleading content, underscores the need for sustained investment in communication systems.

Strengthened RCCE capacities are intended to enable governments to identify emerging concerns earlier, respond more effectively and maintain public trust during health emergencies.

China’s growing presence in the region, which saw it sign a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year, has fuelled concern in the U.S. and Australia about Beijing’s ambitions, and prompted increased Western aid and engagement.

Blinken said at a press conference that the U.S. had no objection to China’s engagement with the region but there were concerns that its investments needed to be transparent and undertaken with sustainable finance.

“I think one of the things that we’ve seen is that as China’s engagement in the (Indo-Pacific) region has grown there has been some, from our perspective, increasingly problematic behaviour,” he said.

Blinken earlier held talks with Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni on the strategic importance of the Pacific region, ahead of his visits to the South Pacific’s two major powers, Australia and New Zealand.

Blinken said the United States was committed to both Tonga and the broader Pacific Islands. His trip is the latest by a senior U.S. official to the region, and President Joe Biden hosted a first ever summit in Washington with Pacific island leaders last September. A second summit is scheduled later this year.

In recent years, China has funded infrastructure and increased its diplomatic presence in the region. China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, undertook a multi-stop tour in the Pacific last year.

There has been a significant boost in engagement and funding from Western countries to counter this.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is visiting Papua New Guinea this week before heading to Australia where the largest Australia-US military exercise is due to begin. French President Emmanuel Macron is also in the region visiting French territories, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

One of the West’s biggest concerns is debt levels in the region. Tonga is heavily indebted to Beijing and there have been questions about how the nation of a little more than 100,000 people will repay that debt.

Sovaleni said at the press conference that Tonga had this year started to pay down its debt and had no concerns about Tonga’s relationship with China, which was focused on development such as infrastructure.

Blinken will officially open a new U.S. Embassy in the capital Nuku’alofa later on Wednesday before flying on to Wellington, New Zealand.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located about 280 km (174 miles) southwest of Tonga, at a depth of 167.4 km (104 miles), according to USGS.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami threat for the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia, or Alaska following the quake.

Australia’s Bureau Of Meteorology also said there was no tsunami threat to Australia.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially reported a magnitude of 7 for the earthquake near the southern region of the Fiji Islands.