Fiji launches national CLIMATE fiNANCE STRATEGY
THE Fiji National Climate Finance Strategy will fulfill the requirement of the recently enacted Climate Change Act in order to develop and implement a national climate finance strategy.
Secondly, the strategy outlines the priority policies, interventions, targets, and projects in 12 sectors that will require climate finance and keep us on track to meeting our ambitions and establishing ourselves as a role model for carbon neutrality and sustainable development.
Attorney-General and Minister responsible for Climate Change, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said Fiji has a clear idea of where we’re heading as a country.
“As you are all aware, we have no shortage of strategies on how to address climate change. With help from many of you in recent years, we have set out our adaptation needs in the National Adaptation Plan and the Climate Vulnerability Assessment.”
“Our mitigation strategies can be found in the Low Emissions Development Strategy, NDC Investment Plan, and the NDC Implementation Roadmap. On top of that, the National Development Plan includes extensive climate priorities, as do many of the line ministries’ strategic plans.”
The A-G stressed that the National Climate Finance Strategy integrates the policies, interventions, targets, and projects from all of these strategies, prioritising them according to the numerous consultations we’ve undertaken with most of you.
The strategy will be the starting point for anyone interested in helping the country finance its climate ambitions.
The strategy provides details on three important adaptation topics that are often overlooked and underfunded: gender and social inclusion, relocation, and human health.
Additionally, the A-G emphasised that women, children, and other marginalised groups are among the most vulnerable to climate impacts but given the right resources and opportunities, they can become innovative leaders in climate adaptation.
“This strategy includes concept notes for 24 mitigation and adaptation projects that are priorities for immediate funding and implementation.”
“This includes 10 national and regional mitigation and adaptation projects that could be submitted to the Green Climate Fund and 14 mitigation and adaptation projects that are priorities for the Ministry of Economy.”
The A-G added climate-vulnerable countries are calling climate finance “development finance” although ”small island developing states like Fiji are competing for paltry amounts of funding that are not sufficient to address the scale of the climate crisis”.
“Our nearly century-old global finance architecture cannot stand the heat of our warming world. It needs reform now, otherwise these policies and strategies will remain well intentioned pieces of paper rather than blueprints for the sweeping actions we require.”