Nadi, Fiji, September 6, 2024 – In partnership with the Fiji Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) hosted a three-day training workshop focusing on enhancing local climate change adaptation planning. The training aimed to equip local adaptation planners with the necessary skills to integrate climate change strategies into local-level planning, targeting government officers at the provincial, and district (Tikina) level. 

GGGI has been supporting the Government of Fiji in increasing climate resilience and facilitating the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan since last September through the GCF project ‘Mainstreaming Adaptation Planning at Local Level in Fiji’. 

The workshop followed extensive consultations with key government stakeholders, including the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, iTaukei Affairs Board, Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development, Ministry of Local Government, and various economic sector ministries. These consultations identified a significant gap in local-level government capacity to identify climate risks, mobilize finance for adaptation investments and plan and implement climate adaptation actions at the local level. The consultations also identified specific needs for targeted training in areas such as climate change science, translating national policy into local action, proposal writing, data utilization, project monitoring, integrating traditional knowledge, and implementing nature-based solutions to support climate adaptation at the local level.  

Participants from six provinces ranging from Provincial Administrators, District Officers, Provincial Conservation Officers, Roko Tuis, Assistant Roko Tuis and Provincial Strategic Development Coordinators engaged in sessions designed to build their capacity on integrating climate adaptation actions into existing vertical planning and budgeting processes. These sessions aimed to ensure that domestic and international climate finances effectively reach targeted areas at the local level, thereby strengthening efforts to enhance the resilience of local communities in Fiji against the impacts of climate change. 

Participants gained comprehensive knowledge of climate change adaptation strategies and policies, including the use of tools, methodologies, and databases for sourcing data and identifying potential climate risks affecting their local communities. They also learned how to integrate local adaptation actions into existing planning instruments, such as Integrated Village Development Plans, District Plans, and Provincial Strategic Development Plans. The workshop further covered participatory methods for engaging communities in collaborative efforts to effectively plan for climate adaptation and approaches for evaluating adaptation outcomes.  Ro Miliakere Tuisawau, a participant from Rewa Province, said the workshop has enhanced her skills in effectively consulting and engaging with local communities to better integrate their traditional knowledge and cultural values. She further added that “In my capacity as a member of the Rewa Province Think Tank, I would strengthen consultations with the Rewa communities to determine their [climate adaptation] priorities in a bottom-up approach. This training would assist me to conduct research and collate evidence-based data that will make my project proposals more effective and have more chance at sourcing climate financing.”

About Mainstreaming Adaptation Planning at the Local Level in Fiji 

In collaboration with the Climate Change Division (CCD) of the Fiji Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the project aims to improve the Fiji’s climate resilience and facilitate implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) by mainstreaming adaptation at the local level focusing on four sectors: coastal resilience, resilient infrastructure including for water, coastal fisheries, and climate smart agriculture. The project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), will run for two years and conclude in September 2025.   

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(GGGI Pacific) 

Trevor Galgal, Readiness Programme Officer 

trevor.galgal@gggi.org 

(GGGI Seoul HQ)  
Mona Laczo, Communications & Knowledge Sharing Unit Head  
mona.laczo@gggi.org  

© Photo Credit GGGI