Suva, Fiji, 27 February 2026 — Provincial and district government officers from across Fiji came together in Suva, for a landmark workshop on Climate Adaptation Finance and Programming. The 2.5-day workshop focused on building the capacity of subnational officers to develop Basic Project Idea Notes (PINs), translating community-level adaptation needs into decision-ready proposals that can inform national investment planning. 

Fiji’s communities have faced increasingly severe impacts from climate change, including flooding, riverbank erosion, coastal inundation, drought, and landslides. While these challenges have been reflected in Integrated Village Development Plans and provincial development plans, a critical gap remained in converting these needs into structured, investable projects aligned with national priorities. This workshop addressed that gap by equipping subnational government staff with practical tools and skills to articulate local adaptation needs clearly and effectively. 

Participants shared the central role they play in connecting communities with government institutions and development partners. Ms. Salanieta Beleigau, Assistant District Officer for Lau emphasized the importance of her role on the ground. “My role as assistant district officer for Koro is crucial because we are the contact point on the ground. I act as a link from the government to the community and from the community to the government, especially in climate adaptation matters. Developing safe evacuation centres for communities affected by past cyclones like Tropical Cyclone Winston has been our priority, and building Project Idea Notes helped us understand and support our communities better,” she said. 

Mr. Sivaniolo Lumelume, Assistant Roko Tui Rewa, highlighted the impact of community-led initiatives in Soliyaga Village. “For Soliyaga, decision-ready Project Idea Notes significantly enhanced the village’s ability to access climate finance. Well-prepared PINs provided clear problem statements, vulnerability data, proposed solutions, and indicative budgets. This allowed us to advocate more effectively with funding agencies, reducing delays and ensuring the community is recognized as a proactive partner in climate resilience,” Lumelume explained. 

Ms. Jessie Siga, Provincial Conservation Officer in Nadroga-Navosa, emphasized the value of integrating adaptation and conservation. “Our major role was helping communities turn ideas into action. By combining adaptation and conservation efforts, we ensured humans and their natural resources were considered together. Over this workshop, learning to build strong Project Idea Notes showed us how communities could secure more climate finance to implement these initiatives,” he said.  

In his closing remarks, Mr. Norbert Maass, GGGI Country Representative for Fiji, Kiribati, and Tuvalu, recognized the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by participants. “This has been a highly practical session, not only discussing climate adaptation finance in theory, but working through real case studies, drafting sections of Project Idea Notes, and translating community needs into structured investment ideas. You have strengthened the first and critical step in building a national adaptation pipeline. Your role at the subnational level is essential: you see firsthand where infrastructure is failing, where livelihoods are at risk, and where climate impacts are intensifying. By structuring these realities into credible Project Idea Notes, you have laid the foundation for concept notes and bankable projects,” he said. 

Mr Maass also highlighted the achievements of the Mainstreaming Adaptation Planning at the Local Level initiative, which included integrating climate adaptation considerations into twelve Integrated Village Development Plans, completing technical diagnostic studies in twelve communities to strengthen local planning, and developing a Nature-based Solutions Guideline to support planning and implementation at the local level. He underscored that these outcomes reflected a shift from ad-hoc responses to more structured, programmatic adaptation planning, and emphasized that the PINs developed during the workshop should be adopted, refined, and positioned within the national adaptation pipeline to evolve into funded projects. 

Over the course of the workshop, participants engaged in applied, hands-on training using real-world case studies of climate challenges such as riverbank erosion, flooding, drought, and coastal inundation. They progressively developed PINs that incorporated climate rationale, gender considerations, and environmental and social safeguards, building a foundation for advancing local adaptation priorities into concept notes and larger-scale projects. The interactive program combined technical presentations, guided group exercises, and hands-on drafting clinics, enabling participants to produce tangible outputs and strengthen their capacity to advance climate adaptation at the local level. 

This workshop marked a significant step in Fiji’s commitment to bottom-up climate programming, strengthening the link between community needs and national adaptation planning. By empowering subnational governments to develop structured project ideas, Fiji advanced toward more coordinated, investable, and effective climate adaptation initiatives, ensuring communities are better prepared to face escalating climate risks. 

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For more information, visit:  https://gggi.org   

Trevor Galgal, Readiness Programme Officer Pacific 

trevor.galgal@gggi.org  

GGGI Pacific (Regional Office)  

Kelly Vacala, Regional Communications & Knowledge Sharing Lead | kelly.vacala@gggi.org