A USD15 million project to support climate change adaptation and risk-resilience building across the country’s nine provinces was officially launched in Honiara on Friday.
The multi-million-dollar funding is provided under the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) project.
LoCAL project is part of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to support climate change adaptation and risk-resilience building in Solomon Islands nine provinces.
In his remarks, Acting New Zealand High Commissioner Rebecca Williams said for decades, Pacific Island communities have been adapting to shifts in their environments using traditional and indigenous knowledge and innovative local strategies.
She said the LoCAL initiative mirrors the philosophy of community-led development by empowering local governments to take the lead in designing and implementing their own climate adaptation projects.
Acting New Zealand High Commissioner Williams said LoCAL supports local governments and communities to take ownership of their climate resilience by providing financial support and resources.
She said LoCAL brings climate finance directly to the local level.
“The integration of LoCAL into the existing Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) builds on an existing system, and this is important for sustainability, and it means that all nine provinces will have the opportunity to benefit from engagement with and support from the programme.”
The Acting New Zealand High Commissioner said New Zealand looks forward to strengthening its partnerships with the Solomon Islands Government, Provincial Government, UNCDF and development partners like the European Union.
European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert said EU recognizes that infrastructure is key to resilience and local communities must have the means to implement solutions that meet their needs.
Ambassador Plinkert said climate change is also the number one priority of the EU’s overall cooperation in the Pacific, recognizing the existential threat that climate change poses to the region.
“LoCAL project offers a vital solution for channelling climate change finance directly to local governments. It’s fully aligned with the priorities of cooperation that the EU and the Pacific have jointly identified, and it falls squarely within our global priorities in the multilateral context of climate change.
“Indeed, through the integration of performance-based climate resilience grants, provincial governments can access the resources they need to implement locally-led climate adaptation projects and the integration of LoCAL into the Solomon Islands Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) is a perfect example of how national systems be leveraged to support climate change at the local level,” she said.
Ambassador Plinkert said EU is proud to support the LoCAL initiative alongside New Zealand, UNCDF and other development partners to ensure that Solomon Islands provinces and their communities can become more resilient to withstand the impacts of climate change.
She said the project’s focus on climate-resilient infrastructure such as water systems, flood defences and climate-proof roads is particularly pertinent to achieve the objective of greater resilience.
Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS), Wayne Ghemu expressed appreciation to the Government and people of New Zealand and to the member States of EU for the combined funding of SBD128 million (USD15 million) to provincial governments to finance climate change adaptation and resilience building.
“I would like to express, on behalf of the national government, our sincere gratitude for the continued budgetary and various forms of bilateral funding that your esteemed governments and organizations are extending to different sectors within the Solomon Islands.
“Moreover, I acknowledge the substantial bilateral assistance consistently provided by the people and government of Australia. These contributions have significantly enhanced the livelihoods of our citizens,” Minister Ghemu said.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
