Regional: Strengthening Climate and Disaster Resilience of Investments in the Pacific

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Agricultural policy, institutional and capacity development

Energy / Energy sector development and institutional reform

Transport / Transport policies and institutional development

Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban policy, institutional and capacity development

The small size, remoteness, and fragile biodiversity of Pacific island countries make them exceptionally vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change, with low capacity to manage the resulting risks. Physical infrastructure associated with transport, energy, water supply and sanitation, and human settlements, is particularly vulnerable to climate change and disaster risks. Adaptation measures to increase the resilience of infrastructure to both disaster events and long term climate change may involve a significant incremental cost on top of the underlying infrastructure investments. Given immense and growing adaptation needs in the Pacific, significant amounts of additional financing must be mobilized.

The TA responds to the priorities identified in the Regional Operations Business Plan for the Pacific 2014-2016. The TA also supports the national adaptation priorities of the Pacific DMCs, and ADB's Pacific Approach 2010-14 and its successor under preparation. The focus of the support will be on supporting Pacific DMCs in key sectors where ADB is providing investment support, and development of national and regional pipelines for climate change and DRM investments. Therefore, the focus is consistent with Country Partnership Strategies and Pacific Approach priorities, and the TA support will be directly linked to pipeline investments and key sectors in the Pacific.

Strengthened integrated risk management to enhance climate and disaster resilience (Draft Strategy for

Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the Pacific)

A multi-sectoral climate change team has been mobilized and has provided countries in the region with the following support:

1) Climate risk and vulnerability assessments (CRVA)

- Completed five CRVAs for large scale infrastructure investments (PNG: Sustainable Highlands Highway Investment Program and Water Supply Scheme for Tete Settlement Project; Fiji: Nadi River Control Project; KIR: South Tarawa Water Supply Project; VAN: Luganville Urban Development Project - completed draft);

- completed climate screening using AWARE software of four large scale infrastructure investments (SAM: Ports Infrastructure Development Project; KIR: South Tarawa Water Supply Project; and PNG: Multipartner Financing Facility for the Highlands Highway Project and District and Provincial Towns Water Supply Project);

- provided technical support to eleven investment design teams as they undertook CRVAs (covering investments in Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, PNG, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Samoa); and

- prepared six climate change profiles for pipeline investments in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Tonga, Timor Leste and PNG.

2) Climate change finance

- supported preparation of the following submissions from Pacific countries to the Green Climate Fund (GCF): Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program; Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project - Battery storage; Nauru Climate Resilient Port Development; Tonga Renewable Energy Project; South Tarawa Water Supply Project and; Solomon Islands Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (Concept Note phase).

- supported preparation of four additional Concept Notes for consideration: two for PNG - one covering the energy sector, one covering the transport sector; one for a Samoa Multipurpose dam project, and one for Tonga Integrated Urban Resilience Sector Project; and

- supported the PNG government with the development of a GCF pipeline.

3) Mainstreaming gender and climate change

- supported a broad review of the gender and climate change policy nexus in the Pacific countries;

- In coordination with regional partners, prepared (draft) chapter on Gender and Social inclusion for the Kiribati Climate Change and Disaster Risk Finance Assessment; and,

- ensured that the projects submitted for GCF funding would be inclusive and mainstream gender concerns and optimally benefits women, including assessments for Tonga and Samoa renewable energy projects.

4) Disaster risk financing

- prepared an initial roadmap for a Regional Contingent Saving Facility (with the participation of Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu); and

- supported initial design (Concept Note) for an investment in _Advancing Disaster Risk Financing in the Pacific Contingent Savings Facility._

5) Climate change and disaster risk management strategic support

- supported the Pacific Department (PARD) in determining how to optimally support implementation of the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific, including the elaboration of PARD's Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Action Plan (2017 2020) and the published brochure Building Resilience in the Pacific - How ADB is Addressing Climate Change and Disaster Risks_.

6) Data management

- prepared an on-line database that provides data (and links) on a range of climate change issues, such as: CRVAs and other climate change assessments; sources of climate change financing and climate change reference materials; PARD's climate change financing (2011-2016) and projected climate change funding; and

- generally supported PARD senior management and sectoral staff to actively contribute to regional climate change discussions and policy debates, notably through the preparation of briefing documents and of focused presentations.

1. Climate and disaster risk management incorporated into investments in the Pacific

2. Capacity to integrate climate and disaster risk management in government planning processes strengthened

3. Access to climate change financing supported in selected countries

4. Pacific DMC's capacity to negotiate climate change agreements and financing strengthened

On target

On target

On target

On target

Achieved.