Projects to improve the resilience of the coastal zone in Vanuatu to the impacts of climate change in order to sustain livelihoods, food production and preserve and improve the quality of life
The Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation (MoCCA) through Vanuatu’s National Designated Authority (NDA) has announced two significant projects on Climate Change Adaptation, the Climate Change in the Coastal zone in Vanuatu (VCAP 2) and Vanuatu Climate Change Resilience Project (VCCRP).
VCAP 2 will be implemented from 2022 to 2028 and Vanuatu Climate Change Resilience Project (VCCRP) from 2022 to 2030.
The National Advisory Board (NAB) on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction approved these two projects, that will be implemented by the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation through the Department of Climate Change with Accredited Entities (AE).
According to the Director of Climate Change Mike Sam Waiwai, the overall aim of the project is to improve the resilience of the coastal zone in Vanuatu to the impacts of climate change in order to sustain livelihoods, food production and preserve /improve the quality of life in targeted vulnerable areas.
The project accredited entity is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that facilitated two funding sources from Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF). The estimated funding is USD$12,544,037 (VT1.4 billion).
“A key element in the implementation of VCAP will be the delivery of support to local rural isolated island communities through their area councils to build their resilience to climate change in selected sites in all six (6) provinces in Vanuatu,” said Waiwai.
Meanwhile, the second project targeting the growing threat of climate change affecting community livelihoods is another significant support to Vanuatu communities.
The Vanuatu Community-based Climate Resilience Project (VCCRP), funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) programme with the support of the Accredited Entity, Save the Children, sets to be implemented over the next six years in 282 villages through provincial governments in the six provinces.
The VCCRP Project is worth USD$32.7 million (VT3.6 billion).
Programmes will increase community access to climate information and early warning systems, as part of disaster risk reduction measures. The project will also support locally-led adaptation plans to increase food security and build climate-resilient livelihoods, by restoring and protecting coastal areas, enabling women-led enterprises, and supporting climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries techniques.
Save The Children Vanuatu has confirmed that the GCF’s Independent Technical Review Panel (ITAP) has endorsed the Vanuatu Community-based Climate Resilience Program for approval at the upcoming GCF Board meeting on 20 May 2022. The ITAP approval is the final clearance before the project is put forward to the GCF Board and we expect to be signing a funding agreement with the GCF and the Government of Vanuatu.
Both GEF and GCF are climate finance mechanisms that the Vanuatu Government is working to implement these projects.
“These projects are another major achievement of the Government for the people of Vanuatu – it is our responsibility, our duty to ensure that if vulnerable remote and rural communities in Vanuatu access and utilise locally-relevant climate information, integrate climate risks into community planning processes, and are supported to implement priority adaption actions,” Director General and National Designated Authority (NDA), Esline Garaebiti Bule stated.
“Then, they will be more resilient to the impacts of increasing climate variability, extremes and change on their food security and livelihoods; because their exposure and vulnerability will be reduced and their capacity increased,” said Bule.
This story was originally published at Vanuatu Daily Post on 19 May 2022, reposted via PACNEWS.
