Vanuatu and Samoa amongst new Green Climate Fund grants for the Pacific

A USD 23 Million dollar grant for a Climate Information Services for Resilient Development project has been approved for Vanuatu by the Green Climate Fund.

Vanuatu's Climate Information Services for Resilient Development project will support ongoing resilient development in Vanuatu through capacity development for effective application of climate information in development planning and implementation.

The project has a focus on addressing information gaps and priority needs of target beneficiaries at national, provincial and local community levels across five sectors: tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, water and fisheries.

"Vanuatu is proud of this achievement. The project will support Vanuatu to use and apply the best available information on weather and climate variability, to plan for, and manage the impacts of climate change," said Mr Jesse Benjamin, Director General of Ministry of Climate Change and National Designated Authority for Vanuatu.

This was one of three projects approved for the Pacific islands region this week.

A USD 57 million grant was approved for a project in Samoa with UNDP for integrated flood management to enhance climate resilience of the Vaisigano river catchment.

A USD 22 Million grant for a multi-country renewable energy programme with the Asian Development Bank with a focus on Cook Islands, and support for the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga was also approved

"This is a great achievement for the Pacific islands as a whole," said Mr Kosi Latu, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

"Resourcing to help our Pacific islands cope with the impacts of climate change and transition away from dirty and expensive fossil fuels is needed.

Having these three projects approved will make a real difference. I congratulate all parties involved in making this happen with the GCF and look forward to seeing more projects like this in the future."

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), is the Accredited Agency for this project which will be implemented with the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department, in the Ministry of Climate Change and will benefit from the technical support of a number of regional partners.

As a Regional Implementing Entity to the GCF, SPREP is able to submit applications for funding of projects and programs on behalf of countries, of up to USD 50 million.

"We congratulate Vanuatu and our partners that have supported this process including the CSIRO, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and APEC Climate Centre on this project approval," said Mr Latu.

"Now, more than ever, science based information can help inform decisions made by our Pacific governments and communities, especially in the face of climate change impacts which provide a constant challenge for many of us in the islands."

"This is a monumental occasion for us as our first project, being the only regional implementing entity for the Pacific and we look forward to even greater achievements to come with our Pacific island members, achievements that will be for the better of our Pacific communities."

The Climate Information Services for Resilient Development Project will span four years and focus on the delivery of practical tools and resources to support climate resilient planning and management decisions at national, provincial and community levels. The project will enhance the ability of VMGD to deliver tailored information to support, for example, climate early warning systems, infrastructure developments, management of local fisheries, and seasonal planning in the agriculture sector.

"One of the great things about this project is its focus on using climate information to support local communities cope with future impacts, we are excited about the outcomes of this and what it will mean for us in Vanuatu!" Said Mr Benjamin.

The 15th Board Meeting of the Green Climate Fund was hosted by the Government of Samoa and held in Apia, Samoa from 13 to 15 December


Photo - S. Chape (Erakor Island, Port Vila, Vanuatu).
Source:
SPREP