The Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce & Industry (VCCI) working in coordination with the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC) delivered a training on Business Continuity Planning (BCP) from 22-23 September 2021. The training targeted business trainers and administrators of Business Development Service (BDS) providers in Vanuatu.

“The objective of the training was to increase the base of business trainers that know about BCP, so more enterprises and entrepreneurs in Vanuatu can access BCP”, said Ms Astrid Boulekone, the General Manager of VCCI. She further added that with the impact of COVID-19 and the cyclones affecting Vanuatu, it was very critical for businesses in Vanuatu to include BCP as part of their business plan.

This training was supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under the UN Informal Economies Recovery Project.

The ILO Director for Pacific Island Countries, Mr Matin Karimli highlighted that the ILO assistance was in response to the severely COVID-19 impacted informal sector. “BCP will enable enterprises to continue to be operational, keep people in work and support families”, said Mr Karimli.

He further added that the objectives of the UN joint project was aligned to and contributes to the Vanuatu Recovery Strategy 2020-23, in particular recovery objective 2 – Enhancing lives and livelihoods.
The two-day training was attended by twenty-one participants from five local organizations including government and private sector. The training covered topics such as understanding and developing Business Continuity Plans; the importance of preparation prior to disruptions; step-by-step guides in preparing for a disruption.

“The training enhances my knowledge as a trainer to ensure young entrepreneurs (our beneficiaries) are equipped with BCPs, and have a plan in place for all sorts of disruptions that might occur during business operations. Businesses will benefit from this knowledge since our country is located in a natural disaster zone”, said Jack Ulas, who works as the Coordinator for the Ready for Business program of Youth Challenge Vanuatu (YCV).

Ms Veleni Jacob from V-Lab said that she delivered Financial Management training and emphasises that small businesses must always have reserves for emergencies. “I'm glad to be part of this training because with this I can introduce and detail financial emergency preparedness to my participants”, further emphasised Ms Jacob.

As part of a regional initiative, the ILO and UNDP is working with the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organization (PIPSO) to strengthen content and delivery of Business Continuity Planning (BCP) in the Pacific.