Pacific island countries unanimously expressed a strong interest in the continuation of work progressed under technical assistance provided by Asian Development Bank (ADB)/SPREP in a meeting that ended in Apia this month.
The Implementation of the Strategic Program for Climate Resilience: Pacific Region technical assistance (TA), piloted the use of mainstreaming tools in the Federated States of Micronesia and Tuvalu so that climatechange and disaster related risks could be incorporated into their development planning processes, policies and plans.
A regional facility – the Regional Technical Support Mechanism (RTSM) – was also set up under the TA to fund and send experts to respond to countries’ requests to address their priority needs. The 34 experts deployed under the regional facility and mainstreaming components proved to be crucial to scale up targeted national climate change investments. Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia had receivedUS$23 and 9 million respectively from the Adaptation Fund, Nauru received US$300,000 from the Green Climate Find (GCF). Tonga’s GCF request to the Adaptation Fund Board for US$50 million was pending.The RTSM also responded to calls from Samoa, Fiji and Tuvalu to incorporate climate and disaster related risks into their national and sector plans and processes. The beauty of the mainstreaming and RTSM work for countries was having a fully fundedexpert address an urgent (often time-bound) need they had, and the burden of administration, procurement, contract and financial management being taken off their shoulders.
A concern raised in the meeting was the sustainability of the project products. The concern voiced related to the great value of the RTSM and the need for continued application and related training for the mainstreaming tools. Countries that were beneficiaries of the RTSM and the rapid response fund as well as national Pilot Programme For Climate Change Resilience (PPCR) track countries called for higher level communication especially in key regional meetings such as the Forum Leaders Meeting, SPREP Meeting, the Pacific Community’sCommittee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (SPC CRGA)and for donors to promote the continuation of the RTSM -linked to the implementation of the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP).
