PRESS STATEMENT 56/11

[Friday 22nd July, Apia, Samoa] Forum Economic Ministers have considered and proposed ways to improve access to and management of climate change funding for Forum Island Countries.

Discussions by the Forum Economic Ministers’ Meeting (FEMM), which concluded yesterday in Apia, Samoa, were based on the findings of an Options Paper on exploring ways to improve climate change resourcing.

The Options Paper

The Options Paper was produced by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in response to Economic Ministers’ direction at their meeting held in Niue last year.

Pacific Islands Forum Leaders will consider options for climate change resourcing at their annual summit to be held in Auckland from 6th-9th September 2011.

“The Secretariat was tasked with coordinating the development of an Options Paper to thoroughly explore a range of approaches to improve accessibility as well as management of climate change resources,” said the Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade.

“This was to be done in consultation with member countries, development partners, and other relevant stakeholders.”
Significant challenges for FICs

Mr Slade said the Options Paper identified many significant challenges Forum Island Countries face in effectively accessing and managing resources for climate change.

“These include complex global structures not designed to accommodate small countries; existing donor harmonisation and aid effectiveness challenges; effectively mainstreaming climate change into national plans and budgets; adequate capacity across a range of issues, including capacity of donors engaged in the region; and finally, maximising the co-benefits for development that can be harnessed by dynamic approaches in mitigation and adaptation.”

No single solution

But there is no one size fits all approach, Mr Slade emphasized.

“With the varying funds available and different capacities of countries, a mix of modalities need to be considered for implementation simultaneously,” said Mr Slade.

“That is a reality of the current financing system which has primarily focused on reaping global benefits through large mitigation projects as opposed to being designed to support the smallest to adapt to its impacts.”

Ministers’ recommendations

Key recommendations by Economic Ministers included a mixture of approaches at the national, regional and multilateral levels.

“These included the use of budgetary support, underpinned by accelerated efforts to strengthen national systems and public financing management,” said Mr Slade.

“Ministers also considered national trust fund arrangements as a possible modality for climate change resources, noting where such arrangements may not be practical, a sub-regional or a regional trust fund arrangement may present an alternative.”

Ministers acknowledged the possible support from the CROP Executive Sub Committee on Climate Change, in helping Forum Island Countries overcome barriers to accessing, managing and delivering climate change resources in support of their priorities.

Ministers further considered how overseas development assistance could be leveraged to assist, in the longer term, private sector adaptation financing.

Background

The Forum Economic Ministers at their October 2010 meeting in Niue had agreed to “the need for strategic focus and urgent action to address access to, and management of, current and proposed funding for climate change in the region…with the focus of activity at the national level…and where appropriate regional and international options to be considered, for example, a regional climate change facility.”

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For further information please contact the Forum Secretariat's Communications Officer, Mue Bentley Fisher, via email mueb@forumsec.org.fj.