Climate change project handed over to Govt.

By Adel Fruean 21 December 2018, 12:00AM

A climate change project led by the Samoan Government and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2012 has been closed.

The closing of the project was held yesterday at the TATTE Building in Apia and attended by representatives from various Samoan Government ministries as well as the Civil Society Support Programme.

The ‘Enhancing Resilience of Coastal Communities of Samoa to Climate Change’ project was approved in March 2012 by the Adaptation Fund (AF) Board and run by the Government with the UNDP providing technical support. Its objective was to strengthen the ability of Samoan communities and public service to make informed decisions and manage climate change-driven pressures, in a pro-active, integrated and strategic way.

Speaking on behalf of the UNDP yesterday, programme manager Yvette Kerslake thanked the various stakeholders and said the project was successfully implemented since the project document’s signing November 2012.

“This project is an important milestone for implementation of climate change adaptation and sustainable development for Samoa it has contributed to the development of Samoa and strategic planning in line with the Government of Samoa Development Strategic, the Samoa pathway and also assists to contribute to the 2030 global agenda or the Sustainable Development Goals.

“UNDP as the development arm of the United Nations is implementing AF goals by working with the governments and stakeholders in developing countries to assist them in accessing financing to build their capacities in developing and implementing climate change adaptation measures,” she said.

The objectives of the project were to ensure Samoan communities and the public service made decisions, added Ms. Kerslake, and managed climate change-driven pressures in a pro-active, integrated and strategic manner.

She said the programme had been part of a comprehensive framework of coastal adaptation and climate risks mitigation in Samoa. 

“It upgraded previously implemented Coastal Infrastructure Management (CIM) Plans in order to consider climate change-induced effects in their formulation,” she added.

According to the UNDP programme manager, the project would not have been successful without the support of all partnerships and stakeholders — ranging from national to sub-national levels including the local communities, non-governmental organisations and the private sector.

I hope this partnership created through the AF project will continue to prosper through an extension or phase two for the project to implement the newly developed CIM plans. This is just the beginning for the Samoa Cares campaign in institutionalizing the CIM plans across the sectors of government,” she added.

The project has now been handed over to the Samoan Government.

By Adel Fruean 21 December 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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