中国气候变化信息网 China Climate Change Info-Net

(2017-04-07)PREPARING governance and finance structures to gain access to global climate funds was the focus of a workshop for government representatives from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Tuvalu in Nadi last week.

During the two-day so­u­th-south learning progr­am, countries which prog­r­­essed in establishing Na­t­i­onal Climate Funds (NCF) shared lessons learned. Through National Climate Funds, Pacific Island Countries now have an opportunity to set up systems to access climate finance at a national level.

Representatives from the Green Climate Fund were also present at the meeting and made presentations on potential links in terms of direct access to climate financing.

United Nations Development Programme Climate Change Policy Adviser Cassie Flynn, said the NCF was a tool for countries to manage climate finance.

"It helps countries to collect climate finance from a variety of sources, coordinate them, blend them together and account for them," she said.

"Some countries in the Pacific have already established NCFs.

"Countries like Tuvalu, Tonga and PNG are leading the way for designing and establishing these important tools for managing climate finance."

While opening the forum, permanent secretary for Forests and Fisheries, Samuela Lagataki encouraged participants to learn and share experiences with each other.

"Financing remains a critical and a core integral component in implementation," he said.

Last year December, the Green Climate Fund provided three grants worth $US102 million ($F213m) to the Pacific.

This included $US23m ($F48m) for a Climate Information Services for Resilient Development project in Vanuatu and a $US57m ($F119m) grant for an integrated flood management project in Samoa. USD$22m ($F45.9m) was given for a multi-country renewable energy program 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.

The south-south learning platform was organised by the Fiji Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme through the UNDP's Pacific Office in Fiji in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, with support from the German Government's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.