Contents | Project Approvals | Impacts & Results | Policy & Mainstreaming
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October 2009: Volume 2

PACIFIC BRIEF

UNDP is providing policy, technical, knowledge and programme development/implementation services to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) on a wide range of climate, environment and energy related topics. UNDP has assisted PICs to access financial resources for climate, environment and energy programmes worth approximately USD 79 million over the last 4 years. UNDP country offices in Suva, Apia and Port Moresby are staffed with dedicated environment officers and supported by Regional Technical Advisors based in Samoa, the UNDP Pacific Centre in Fiji and the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok. As a response to PICs priorities, UNDP’s assistance is increasingly focusing on climate change adaptation.

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Capacity Development / International Consultants  

Capacity development – at the systemic, institutional and individual level - is an integral part of all UNDP supported programmes in the Pacific. UNDP tries to minimize the use of international consultants and instead build capacities of local experts. A recent analysis of the entire climate change portfolio has shown that only 13% of all funds are spent on international consultants. UNDP is also supporting five capacity assessment projects with GEF funding of USD 200,000 each. These projects support National Capacity Self Assessments (NCSA) for the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea. The NCSA is a 5-step process that aims at determining national priorities in the area of global environmental management, namely under three UN conventions: UNFCCC, UNCCD, UNCBD.

 

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

In the Pacific UNDP is currently supporting 5 climate change adaptation projects (Grant funding: USD 22,792,000), 4 climate change mitigation projects (Grant funding: USD 8,400,000) and 11 Second National Communications (Grant funding: USD 4,455,000).

Table 1: UNDP supported Climate Change projects in the Pacific

Countries

Short Title

Focal Areas

Source of Funds

Stage

Project Amount ($US)

Climate Change Adaptation

Samoa	Integrating Climate Change Risk and Resilience in Forest Rehabilitation and Agro-forestry		CC-A	LDCF	1	2,400,000
Samoa	Integrated Climate Change Adaptation in Samoa (ICCAS)		CC-A	LDCF	4	2,000,000
Timor Leste	NAPA Preparation		CC-A	GEF	4	220,000
Tuvalu	Increasing resilience of coastal areas and community settlement to climate change in Tuvalu		CC-A	LDCF	2	3,349,500
Cook Islands, Fiji, FSM, Nauru, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Palau, RMI.		Pacific Islands Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC)	CC-A	SCCF	4	14,822,500
TOTAL						22,792,000

Climate Change Mitigation

Fiji	Renewable Energy	CC – M	GEF	1	975,000
Samoa	Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement Through Renewable Energy (PIGGAREP)	CC – M	GEF	4	5,225,000
Marshall Islands	Action for the Development of Renewable Energy (ADMIRE)	CC - M	GEF	4	1,100,000
Palau	Sustainable Economic Development through Renewable Energy Applications  (SEDREA)	CC - M	GEF	4	1,100,000
TOTAL					8,400,000

Second National Communications under the UNFCCC

Cook Islands	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
FSM	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Kiribati	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Marshall Islands	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Nauru	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
PNG	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Samoa	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Solomon Islands	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Tonga	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Tuvalu	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
Vanuatu	Second National Communication	CC - M	GEF	4	405,000
TOTAL					4,455,000

  *See Key at bottom of page

Highlight: Renewable Energy (PIGGAREP)

PIGGAREP is a five-year joint initiative by 11 Pacific Island Countries (PICs), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), UNDP and GEF. The goal of PIGGAREP is slowing down the growth rate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from fossil fuel use through promotion of renewable energy technologies. Since its inception in July 2007, PIGGAREP has supported community level renewable energy installations as well as organizational, policy and institutional reforms. In Vanuatu PIGGAREP is funding a hydro power feasibility study at Talise village on Maewo Island. In Tuvalu, the Italian Government is funding the Photovoltaic Electricity Network Integration Project (TPVENIP), which will feed photovoltaic (PV) power into the main power network on the island of Vaitupu. PIGGAREP is providing financial assistance to meet the costs of the training component which is essential in an effort to ensure long-tem sustainability. Also in Tuvalu, PIGGAREP has supported the establishment of a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Unit at the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation. In Solomon Islands PIGGAREP support will enable the initiation of a comprehensive update of feasibility studies for mini-hydropower schemes in Huro and Rualae. In Samoa PIGGAREP has been raising awareness of renewable energy resources and has supported the Electric Power Corporation procuring wind resource monitoring equipment for the island of Savaii.

 

Highlight: Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) in the Pacific

The Asia-Pacific Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) Programme is providing funds to implement priority adaptation measures at the local level in 14 Pacific island countries. The main objectives are: i) to improve the adaptive capacity of communities to reduce vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change, ii) to provide countries with concrete ground-level experience with local climate adaptation measures, and iii) to provide clear policy lessons. Focus on local communities is at the core of UN’s work in the Pacific as demonstrated through the newly formulated UN joint programme on Community Centered Sustainable Development Programme (CCSDP) which promotes an integrated approach to community development. Climate Change is placed strategically within the CCSDP given that it is considered as a development challenge not just an environmental challenge. The CBA Inception Workshop was held in Samoa-Apia, 26 August to 2 September 2009. The workshop brought together key stakeholders from 15 Pacific Island Countries, international experts and development partners (GEF SGP, AusAID and NZAid). It provided a great opportunity to exchange experiences, train focal points on climate change trends, risk and vulnerability assessment techniques, project formulation, monitoring and evaluation processes.

Highlight: Fiji Renewable Energy

A new concept for a USD 1m renewable energy project in Fiji was developed and submitted to the GEF in September to be funded under the GEF Pacific Alliance of Sustainability. UNDP, upon request of the Government of Fiji and the GEF Secretariat, assisted in developing the concept. The Department of Energy (DOE) is the executing partner providing substantive co-financing contributions.

 

Persistent Organic Pollutants

UNDP is supporting one Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) project in the Pacific. The project, Preparation of the POPs National Implementation Plan under the Stockholm Convention, is currently under implementation in the Cook Islands with USD 290,750 worth of GEF funding. The overall objective of the project is to create sustainable capacity within the Cook Islands to enable it to meet its obligations under the Stockholm Convention, including initial preparation of a POPs National Implementation Plan (NIP), and other broader issues of chemicals safety and management. The NIP will outline the action plans that the Cook Islands will be implementing to help it meet its obligations under the Convention to phase-out POPs sources and remediate POPs contaminated sites in the Cook Islands.

 

Ecosystems and Natural Resources  

UNDP is currently supporting a total of 23 Ecosystem and Natural Resources Projects in the Pacific. These projects amount to USD 45,562,016 worth of funds and include: six biodiversity projects (USD 10,397,410), three international waters projects (USD 28,397,061) and 14 land degradation projects (USD 6,767,545).

Table 2: UNDP supported biodiversity, International Waters, Land Degradation projects in the Pacific

Country/Countries	Short Title		Focal Areas	Source of Funds	Stage	Project Amount ($US)
Biodiversity
Fiji	Additional Funding of Biodiversity Enabling Activity		BD	GEF	4	237,500
Vanuatu	Facilitating and strengthening local resource management initiatives of traditional landholders & their communities to achieve biodiversity conservation objectives.		BD	GEF	4	745,910
Timor Leste	National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (NBSAP)		BD	GEF	4	323,000
Tonga	Enabling Activities- Top Up		BD	GEF	1	112,000
Tuvalu	National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (NBSAP)		BD	GEF	4	265,000
PNG	Landscape-based Forest Conservation		BD	GEF	2	8,714,000
TOTAL						10, 397,410
International Waters
Fiji	Oceanic Fisheries Management: Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme of the Pacific SIDSs		IW	GEF	4	10,946,220
Fiji	Sustainable integrated water  resources management in Pacific Island Countries		IW	GEF	4	6,727,891
Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, FSM, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, RMI, Tonga.		Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)	IW	GEF	4	10,722,950
TOTAL						28,397,061
Land Degradation
Cook Islands	Capacity Development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Federated States of Micronesia	Capacity Development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Fiji	Capacity Building and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Kiribati	Sustainable Land Management and Capacity Building Project		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Marshall Islands	Capacity development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Nauru	Capacity Development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Niue	Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management in NIUE		LD	GEF	3	474,545
Palau	MSP for Land Degradation SLM		LD	GEF	3	475,000
PNG	Capacity Development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	593,000
Samoa	Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Solomon Islands	Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Tonga	Capacity Development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Tuvalu	Capacity Development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
Vanuatu	Capacity development and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management		LD	GEF	4	475,000
TOTAL						6,767,545

  *See Key at bottom of page

Stage Key

1        Concept Preparation
2        Concept Approved
3        Project Approved
4        Under Implementation    

Focal Areas Key

BD      Biodiversity
CB      Capacity Building
CC-A   Climate Change Adaptation
CC-M   Climate Change Mitigation
IW      International Waters
LD      Land degradation
MFA    Multi-Focal Areas
POPS   Persistent Organic Pollutants