Following a week of comprehensive and informative sessions and dialogue, partner countries and delivery partners brought the fourth and final Steering Committee meeting and Lessons Learned workshop for the European Union (EU) Intra-ACP GCCA+ Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change and Resilience Building (PACRES) project to a close.
Representatives from the meeting’s host country, Fiji, banded together to farewell their colleagues with a chorus of “Isa Lei”. The final session brought the curtains down on a week where implementing countries and partners reviewed the project’s progress and the work plan for the remaining months before project closure.
The members of the Steering Committee Meeting also shared their lessons learned and best practices for the way forward in climate change adaptation and resilience building. The harmonising of climate change dialogue and fostering partnerships between government sectors, civil society, non-governmental organisations, development partners and communities was highlighted as a key finding during the workshop.
Capacity building and targeted training for adaptation, mitigation and climate finance was deemed critical for Pacific resilience. The workshop also highlighted success stories from communities who have used project developed knowledge products, information, and tools for enhancing their capacity to be self-reliant.
PACRES Project Manager, Mr Semi Qamese highlighted these sustainable practices for community resilience. “Through PACRES we have seen great examples of community developed pilot projects being replicated to other communities through the establishment of Communities of Practice. These are the initiatives that will exist to serve communities even after that project has ended”.
The sentiment was echoed by the Director for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP) Climate Change Resilience Programme, Ms Tagaloa Cooper, who said, “PACRES ensured national implementation was suited to the priorities of the countries. Of the lessons we have learned about this week, one is clear - the work must be continued”.
The Steering Committee Meeting saw successful execution rates of the project budget by the delivery partners, Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Pacific Community (SPC), University of the South Pacific (USP) and SPREP. Capacity building activities in financial management, monitoring and reporting was highlighted as a need for Pacific countries to ensure minimal risk to projects. Adherence to the donor financial guide and project audit was also highlighted for best financial practice.
Primarily funded by the EU with targeted support from the Monaco and Swiss Confederation, EU’s Programme Manager for PACRES, Mr Gabor Sasvari acknowledged the robust foundation for the knowledge base on climate adaptation and resilience for the Pacific developed through the project. He commended the passion and commitment of all countries, community members and delivery partners, in executing meaningful actions for building Pacific resilience.
Mr Sasvari, noted while there is the final implementation period for PACRES, there is much confidence in the countries and delivery partners to successfully journey to the finish line.
He joined Mr Qamese in thanking the 15 Intra-ACP countries and delivery partners for their unwavering support in championing climate change adaptation and building resilience for the Pacific.
The PACRES project will come to a close in July 2024. The fourth Steering Committee Meeting and Lessons Learned Workshop was held in Nadi, Fiji, from 31 July – 4 August 2023.
ABOUT PACRES
PACRES aims to improve regional, national adaptation and mitigation solutions to climate change concerns faced in 15 Pacific ACP countries. The 15 Pacific ACP countries are: Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The €12.18 million PACRES is funded primarily by the European Union (EU) (€12 million) with targeted support from Monaco and the Swiss Confederation and is delivered jointly by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programmme (SPREP), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Pacific Community (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific (USP).
For more information on the PACRES project, please contact Semi Qamese, PACRES Project Manager at [email protected].
