Port Vila, Vanuatu. March 17, 2026 – Forests play a critical role in achieving Vanuatu’s climate and development objectives by contributing to carbon sequestration, enhancing ecosystem resilience, conserving biodiversity, and supporting sustaining livelihoods for communities across the country.   

The Government of Vanuatu, through the Ministry of Climate Change, Adaptation, Meteorology, Geohazards, Environment, Energy, and National Disaster Management Office, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Biosecurity, in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as an implementing partner of the Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Hub, convened a validation workshop in Port Vila to review and refine four investment proposals developed for the forest sector, to strengthen the design prior to finalization and national endorsement.   

Building onto the inception workshop held in July 2025, which provided a strategic pathway for the development of the Investment proposals, this validation workshop brought together over 40 representatives from government ministries and agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, the private sector, and technical experts. The prioritized bankable proposals are on: 

• Afforestation and Reforestation (ARR) – Expanding Forest coverage to enhance carbon sequestration. 

• Restoration – Rehabilitation of degraded forest landscapes to strengthen resilience and biodiversity. 

• Agroforestry – Integrating trees and crops for sustainable land management and economic benefits. 

• Forest Information and Monitoring System (NFIS) – Establishing a national system to track forest-related data for informed decision-making. 

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Acting Director of the Department of Forests, Mr. Godfrey Bome, emphasized the importance of strengthening investment planning to support national climate commitments.   

“We collectively embarked on this strategic process in 2024 when we delivered on the Forest Sector NDC Investment Strategy. Thanks to our collective efforts and commitment, we sustained the momentum and ensured that the Investment Strategy is translated into bankable investment plans that will support Vanuatu’s efforts to deliver on our NDC 3.0 commitments. This process since 2024 emphasizes the critical role of Forestry as well as the greater productive sector in our national resilience and in particular, the pivotal role we play as a platform for strategic interventions which is critical to the achievement of our NDC targets, whilst also contributing to the shared global goals of the Paris Agreement.” Bome further reiterated that this work, together with other national documents, will provide Vanuatu with additional opportunities and will continue to inform and guide national priorities in future. “Furthermore, the recent ‘Island Focus’ policy direction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Biosecurity (MALFB), now creates an enabling environment to expedite national level processes for targeted investments at the island level. Given the strong alignment of our Investment Plans with this MALFB policy, we expect the next steps beyond validation and national endorsement to be fast-tracked.”

The GGGI Deputy Country Representative for Vanuatu, Mr. Dheeraj Arrabothu, stated in his remarks, “Translating Vanuatu’s NDC 3.0 commitments into well‑prepared, investment‑ready projects is essential for effective implementation. This validation process strengthens national ownership and ensures that priority forest sector investments are aligned with national & sector development goals, climate resilience needs, and financing requirements. GGGI remains committed to supporting the Government of Vanuatu in building a strong pipeline of bankable NDC investments”

The Regional Pacific NDC Hub Vanuatu Focal Point and Acting Director for the Department of Climate Change Mr. Nelson Kalo reiterated: “By strengthening investment planning for the forest sector, the initiative aims to mobilize climate finance and accelerate implementation of Vanuatu’s climate commitments while promoting sustainable forest management and resilient livelihoods.”

The inputs gathered during the workshop will support the finalization of the investment proposals prior to the submission for national endorsement. 

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) 

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was founded as a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. GGGI supports its Member States in transitioning their economies toward a green growth model that simultaneously achieves poverty reduction, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth. With over 50 Member States and 29 Partner countries and regional integration organizations in the process of accession, GGGI delivers programs and projects in over 51 countries. These initiatives encompass developing innovative green growth solutions, technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and assistance in building a pipeline of bankable green investment projects, project financing, investments, and knowledge sharing. GGGI’s work contributes to its Member States’ efforts to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals and the Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement.   

About the Regional Pacific NDC Hub
Established in 2017, the Regional Pacific NDC Hub provides technical assistance, facilitates knowledge sharing and promotes leadership to Pacific Island Countries to enhance and implement their NDCs. The Regional Pacific NDC Hub is administered by the Pacific Community (SPC) and implemented in partnership with Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the NDC Partnership. The NDC Hub implements its activities with financial support from European Union, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany, Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 

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

GGGI Pacific (Regional Office)    

Roshika Gaunder, NDC Hub Coordinator

roshika.gaunder@gggi.org

Kelly Vacala, Regional Communications & Knowledge Sharing Lead  

kelly.vacala@gggi.org