Pacific developing member countries (DMCs) are generally dispersed and remote, with fragile environments, small and scattered populations, and face similar challenges. They are highly vulnerable to climate-related natural hazards, which adversely affect livelihoods and economies. The Pacific countries are being supported in their efforts toward sustainable development, including addressing climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), through a regional strategic framework, including (i) the Pacific Plan, 2005, which provides a framework for strengthening regional cooperation and integration, to address climate change; (ii) the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change, 2006â2015; and (iii) the Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Framework for Action, 2005â 2015 (Regional Framework), which provides overarching policy guidance for disaster risk management and support for building climate-resilient communities.
Based on the recommendations of an independent expert group, the Pacific has been invited as one of two vulnerable regions (the Caribbean being the other) to participate in the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) under the Strategic Climate Fund, a multi-donor trust fund within the Climate Investment Funds. The PPCR aims to help countries transform to a climate-resilient development path, consistent with national poverty reduction and sustainable development goals. This regional capacity development technical assistance (TA) is intended to support implementation.
Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga have taken the lead to design a strategic regional program that builds on existing cooperative frameworks for addressing climate change risks that will tap US$75 million in grant financing from the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) for investments designed to mainstream climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into national, sectoral, and local development planning and action. In addition to providing direct financial support for transformational climate resilience projects, the Pacific region’s PPCR financing is intended to support Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga, as well as non-PPCR pilot countries in the region, in developing local and national capacities for climate resilience planning, coordination, and action.
Pacific Projects include:
Papua New Guinea: Building Resilience to Climate Change in Papua New Guinea Project
Samoa: Enhancing Climate Resilience for West Coast Road Project; Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Coastal Resources and Communities
Tonga: Climate Resilience Sector Project