K5 million for climate project

The National National

A US$1.7 million (K5.96mil) National Adaptation Project (NAP) to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the country is in development, according to the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA).
Speaking at a workshop in West New Britain yesterday, managing director Ruel Yamuna said the NAP, which was funded from the Green Climate Fund’s Readiness programme, will support the Government to address climate challenges through a phase-based approach.
Yamuna said the project would be spearheaded by CCDA and the UN with the first phase to focus on four development sectors: transport, health, agriculture and infrastructure/works.
“The CCDA will be working with these sectors in strengthening their institutional capacity, mainstreaming climate change adaptation and developing effective strategies for climate action,” Yamuna said.
“Not to say that the other sectors will be left out, all other sectors are part of the NAP but will start with the four sectors in this first phase as they have priority funding support from the Government.”
Yamuna said the NAP would assist PNG conduct comprehensive medium and long-term climate adaptation plans.
“It is a flexible process that builds on each country’s existing adaptation activities and helps integrate climate change into national decision-making,” he said.
“It is important that the NAP is a means of identifying medium and long-term adaptation needs, it helps develop implementation strategies and programmes to address those needs and it is a continuous progressive and iterative process which follows a country-driven, gender-sensitive, participatory and fully transparent approach.”
Yamuna said the focus for the NAP project would be:

  • AT the national and sub-national level with the focus on four priority sectors: agriculture, health, transport, and infrastructure;
  • FACILITATES integration of climate change adaptation priorities in existing national policies and sub sector policies; and,
  • STRENGTHENING of financing framework for adaptation action.

“By the end of this project PNG will have developed a NAP document that will be used by the relevant sectors to mainstream and integrate adaptation strategies and actions within their existing policies and frameworks and consider the integration of climate change adaptation into development planning and budgeting processes of PNG.”