Fourteen Pacific islands have now been able to access funding for Green Climate Fund projects to address climate change, following the most recent GCF board meeting this week.
This has resulted in full Pacific coverage of GCF projects across the Pacific islands – a positive step for the Pacific islands region, which on the frontlines of climate change.
The newly approved project – “Enhancing Climate Information and Knowledge Services for resilience in the small islands” for Cook Islands, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands and Tuvalu is also the first GCF project for both Niue and Palau. It is executed in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“This is a major achievement for our Pacific islands region. We particularly congratulate Niue and Palau for this achievement, and thank our partners UNEP,” said Ms Tagaloa Cooper, Director of Climate Change Resilience of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“All work undertaken across to address climate change in our Pacific islands is a positive step towards building our resiliency. We fully understand the hard work that goes into developing project proposals for approval by the GCF Board and congratulate our Pacific island Members for their dedication towards this.”
Established by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010, the Green Climate Fund is the world’s largest fund committed to helping developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen their ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change. It supports the Paris Agreement Goal of keeping average global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is an Accredited Entity to the GCF for Medium sized projects up to USD 250 Million.
As such, SPREP is also working with the Vanuatu Government, under the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department in the Ministry of Climate Change to implement the Climate Information Services for Resilient Development Project also known as Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt (Van-KIRAP). It was launched in 2018.
SPREP has also supported three Pacific island Members access the GCF Readiness Funds - two of whom are being assisted a second time - which help prepare them to implement GCF Projects.
“Much progress has been made across our Pacific islands region with many of our Members now at capacity to implement multi-million-dollar projects funded by the Green Climate Fund in line with GCF guidelines,” said Ms Cooper
“We have much more in our plans ahead to assist our Members with implementing their GCF Projects, as well as accessing further funding for more work to address climate change on the ground, including a major flagship project that is under development. We stand ready to work with our Pacific island Members and the GCF to ensure a resilient Pacific.”
Across the planet there are now 154 projects funded by the Green Climate Fund resulting in 405.7 million people that now have increased resilience.
The most recent GCF Board Meeting, the Twenty-Seventh GCF Board Meeting was held virtually from 9 – 13 November 2020.
For further information on the Green Climate Fund please visit www.greenclimate.fund.