The Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Hub presented at the Pacific Resilience Meeting’s (PRM) Session 8 this month on the status, challenges, opportunities and best practices of low carbon development in the Pacific.
In its promoting of a “Green recovery” towards creating resilient and sustainable communities, the Regional Pacific NDC Hub reported that it will have completed 38 technical requests from member countries in their climate commitments by the end of February 2022.
Driven by Pacific Island Countries, the Regional Pacific NDC Hub provides technical assistance for the Large Ocean States in their climate commitments for a sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient Pacific.
Speaking during the meeting on behalf of Fiji’s Ministry of Economy, Ms. Deeptika Chand stated that out of the total climate finance allocated for Asia Pacific region, “Pacific Small Island Developing States have only been able to access 4.6% of the funds”.
“Fiji needs USD $875M to achieve emission reductions in the transport sector, and close to USD $2B investment for energy efficiency and also in the transport sector,” Chand said.
If implemented, the NDC Hub supported investment plan for Energy Efficiency and Transport sector has a potential of abating 2.722 million tonnes of GHGs by 2030.
Fiji stated that there have been attempts to operationalize Low-Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) and other documents developed and delivered along the line of the Paris Agreement, and multiple Financial Instruments and Funding Sources have been explored in the private and public sector.
Presenting on behalf of the Hub's member country, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Energy Sector Advisor Bruce Robins, reported that FSM needs to focus on both State and National priorities on reducing the importation of fossil fuels by updating their Energy Master Plans.
“Additionally, the collective concerns of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) “can only ever be a moral stance in the international community” Robins reported, putting an increased pressure on developed countries to carbon neutrality by 2050.
Overall outcomes from Session 8 included the need to:
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Integrate and engage with partners and donors to develop solutions for low carbon development and to accelerate actions with the ongoing technical working group for sustainable and resilient development in line with national, regional and international frameworks commitments (national energy roadmaps, FESRIP, Paris agreement, Sendai Framework, FRDP, SDGs).
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Include and support PICTs in exploring multiple financial instruments and funding sources to operationalise NDCs, LEDS and NDC Investment Plans for the full realisation of Paris Agreement targets.
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Inform and inspire resilience-building by strengthening partnerships and enhancing coordination and collaboration amongst actors and agencies in the energy space in the region and providing institutional and policy enabling mechanisms to foster partnerships and investment for low carbon development including setting up enabling mechanisms for uptake of new technologies such as e-mobility.
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Sustain resilience-building by “green recovery”, an approach which was not only about rebuilding outdated structures but also reorienting economic systems towards resilience and social and ecological sustainability.
The 2nd Pacific Resilience Meeting hosted from 5-8 July, 2021 brought together a cross section of partners from government, the private sector, civil society organisations, development agencies, local/ national/ regional and international organisations, youth and community representatives.
The biennial Pacific Resilience Meeting (PRM) is a key component of the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) governance arrangements endorsed by the Pacific Island Forum Leaders in 2017 to support the effective implementation of the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific: An Integrated Approach to Climate Change and Disaster (FRDP) 2017 – 2030.