The Ministry is responsible for managing and coordinating the Fijian Government’s efforts to support rural and maritime development and to implement specific development programmes. It supports the development of rural and maritime communities and ensures that the development process is risk informed. In doing so, the Ministry is guided by the Integrated Rural Development Framework (IRDF).
The mandate is delivered through Ministry personnel, which include Divisional Commissioners and a network of District Officers. The Ministry’s headquarter is located in Suva and has a total of 33 stations located across the Central, Northern, Eastern, and Western Divisions.
Disaster Management Functions and Responsibilities
The Ministry is also mandated under the Natural Disaster Management Act (1998) to coordinate disaster risk.The Office coordinates the national management of disaster activities through the Ministry’s organisation structures at the national, divisional and the local and community levels.
Read more on: www.ndmo.gov.fj
Core Roles
To achieve the targets set out under the 5 Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs), the Ministry will perform four core roles:
- Rural development facilitator and coordinator. The Ministry facilitates and convenes meetings, planning and decision-making processes, information and knowledge sharing and management. It coordinates partners and stakeholders to deliver a collaborative, joined-up approach that provides value for money, appropriate prioritisation, and manages top-down and bottom-up approaches.
- Knowledge broker. The Ministry is a source of expertise, knowledge and information on rural development. It supports improved access to information for all actors seeking to support rural development, and to ensure evidence-based decision-making.
- Relationship manager. Rural development depends on the mutual support and collaboration of many ministries, agencies, civil society organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders. The Ministry actively manages these partnerships and relationships.
- Risk reduction, response and recovery coordinator. The Ministry leads and coordinates disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response programmes through the National Disaster Management Office. It is uniquely placed to embed risk within development planning processes and actively facilitate response and recovery processes to ensure that measures support longer-term resilient development.
