Background:
Responding to challenges posed by climate change to the development and survival of Pacific Islands, the United States Government has made the Pacific a strategic focus by expanding bilateral and multilateral climate change related assistance to the region. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced at the meeting with Pacific leaders on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September, 2010 that the U.S.A Government intends to catalyse its increasing engagement in the region by addressing adaptation to global climate change. In response, USAID opened a Pacific Islands office at the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on October 5th, 2011. In coordination with development partners, USAID's climate change program will support Pacific Island nations to reduce long-term impacts associated with climate change and achieve sustainable climate-resilient development, both of which will strengthen U.S. Government objectives by mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. The Coastal Community Adaptation Project (C-CAP) is part of USAIDâs support to address climate change in the Pacific.