Suva, Fiji –11th August 2023, – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the British High Commission in Suva announced a partnership to support access to climate finance in Pacific Island Countries. Underpinned by the UK’s Small Island Developing States Capacity and Resilience Program (SIDAR), this initiative will be for two years, with a possibility of a subsequent second phase. Countries benefiting from the initiative include Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The partnership will support Pacific countries resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change through undertaking capacity building initiatives as well as Stategic feasibility studies. The collaboration will also foster the realization of a low carbon future in line with National Adaptation Plans and NDC commitments through enhanced capacity to access and deliver the climate finance needed.
Under the capacity building component long-term technical advisors will be embedded within government institutions to strengthen these institutions’ ability to access and absorb impactful climate finance and deliver climate projects. GGGI will complement the ongoing work through the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN).
Strategic feasibility studies will be conducted to strengthen climate finance implementation and knowledge sharing within and between Pacific countries. One key study will assess the options for establishing a Pacific Call Down Facility and a second on enhancing knowledge sharing and lessons learnt from climate change projects through a Pacific Climate Finance Evidence and Knowledge Platform.
The British High Commissioner, Dr Brian Jones said, “The UK has nothing to teach the Pacific about resilience, but we have experience of working with large-scale global finance and have heard from Pacific partners that support and advice to access climate funding, absorb and implement it, is critical to progress in this area. We are excited to work through GGGI to offer technical expertise directly to Government institutions, to build sustainable capability to attract and spend climate finance in the Pacific.”
Pacific Regional Director of GGGI, Katerina Syngellakis stated, “Our collaborative program builds on GGGIs experience in the region supporting Pacific Member States and Partners in accessing climate finance as partners embedded within government institutions.” She added “We are enthusiastic to be partnering with the UK to continue to advocate and build capacity for climate finance for the Pacific.”
For more information contact: Nathalie Andre, nathalie.andre@gggi.org.
