How did you manage to coordinate your efforts with the government, the NGO sector, and other actors? 

It was tough this time, because it was the first time that a disaster response was coordinated without international assistance. We were short of resources on the ground. When we reflected afterwards, we agreed that government responders need to work more closely with the private sector and NGOs in-country. That didn't happen as well as it could have, and we learned lessons from this experience. We need to make sure from our side that we're prepared and ready to go assist the government's response, since they are the lead agency. If we're ready, organized and capable, then the country can respond a lot faster, which is all we want at the community level. 

The Connecting Business initiative (CBi) engages the private sector in disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The initiative aims to be the go-to hub for private sector business networks, strengthening their collaboration with government, UN entities and other actors.  CBi  works directly with 11 private sector networks, which represent more than 4,000 private actors. https://www.connectingbusiness.org/  

The Vanuatu Business Resilience Council was launched in 2017 to help strengthen the private sector, helping local businesses to participate and engage within the climate change and disaster risk reduction sectors. Read more.