Pacific governments to gather for climate finance talks in Palau

Koror, Palau - Representatives of ten Pacific governments will gather in Palau later this week to discuss how countries can increase their access to climate funds and use them sustainably.
The workshop, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), complements other recent regional meetings on climate change, as well as work being undertaken by regional organisations on the potential options available to Pacific Island countries to access and effectively deliver climate change adaptation initiatives.

The Vice President of Palau, Honorable Kerai Mariur, Vice President and Minister of Finance, Republic of Palau will officially open the national stakeholders meeting on Thursday April 14. Senior government officials from Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu as well as representatives of regional agencies and civil society organizations will attend the meeting.

“Climate change is one of the most pressing development challenges facing the Pacific. While globally there are promises of substantial resources to respond to the impact of climate change, Pacific island countries would benefit from up-to-date knowledge and tools on how to access and use these funds,” said the Deputy UNDP Resident Representative Toily Kurbanov.

“Through this workshop, UNDP hopes that Pacific Island countries can be better equipped with the knowledge of innovative country-level solutions, such as multi-donor climate funds and what they might need to do to gain direct access to multilateral climate funds.”

The two day workshop will also discuss the entry points to ensure Pacific Island countries can most effectively engage in the ongoing international discussions on climate change both collectively and as individual nations.