"The draft document being validated will expedite the accomplishment of Tonga’s Second NDC targets, through mitigation and adaptation project opportunities in the sectors of agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU), waste, and marine protected areas (MPAs)”.
- Mr. Paula Ma'u, CEO, MEIDECC
As a follow-up to the national consultation workshop in August this year, the Tonga Department of Climate Change with support from the Regional Pacific NDC Hub through its implementing partner the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), hosted a national validation workshop with national experts on 21 October 2021.
The aim of this validation workshop was to receive a final round of expert feedback and recommendations on Tonga’s draft NDC Implementation Roadmap and NDC Investment Plan from key sector stakeholders and experts.
Delivering his welcoming remarks, Mr. Paula Ma’u, CEO of the Tonga Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), stated that the draft document being validated will “expedite the accomplishment of Tonga’s Second NDC targets, through mitigation and adaptation project opportunities in the sectors of agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU), waste, and marine protected areas (MPAs)”.
Mr. Ma’u also conveyed his thanks to the national stakeholders for their continuous and valuable contributions to Tonga’s NDC workstreams and “climate actions, resilience building efforts, and commitments to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement”.
The NDC Implementation Roadmap and NDC Investment Plan (including project pipeline) is a plan for the Government of Tonga to achieve its Second NDC targets through implementation of the 15 proposed projects identified in the AFOLU, waste, and MPAs sectors. It is also intended, that this national document, once completed, will help generate interests from potential implementation partners, including donors and private investors, to fund the robust pipeline of projects.
During the validation workshop, over 60 national stakeholders were provided with an overview of the project and the process undertaken to develop this NDC document, as well as the pipeline of projects in the investment plan which looked at greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction potential, financial needs, co-benefits, capacity requirements, and potential to attract funding. A range of valuable and insightful feedback was also received from the national experts.
As next steps, the draft document will be further finessed and strengthened, after which it will be tabled for submission to the national cabinet for final approval before it can be used as a strategic guidance for supporting achievement of Tonga’s NDC targets.
