SYDNEY -- A new rapid response initiative aimed at providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Pacific stands to boost coordination and increase efficiency by lessening the chance of aid being delivered in a haphazard fashion, officials and experts say.
The Pacific Response Group (PRG), an initiative approved by regional defense ministers, brings together military personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, France, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Chile to jointly train, deploy and offer assistance during natural disasters across the region. It will spring into action only when requests are made from affected Pacific island countries.
