Office of Climate Change secures K18m for projects

THE Office of Climate Change and Development has secured K18 million to carry out adaptation programmes in the country.
Adaptation director Varigini Badira said the funds were secured last year and would be with the United Nations Development Programme for implementation and dissemination.
“Let me make it clear that the K18 million is not with OCCD and people should not see this as money to fund compensation for natural catastrophes that occur,” he said.
“We have a programme and UNDP will disperse the fund in alignment with the programme.
“The OCCD has a co-ordinative role and we are there to ensure that this fund goes towards the programmes we have.
“It is the people’s money and must be used for the people.”
He said they had identified four key areas of the adaptation programme.
The four areas are coastal flooding, inland flooding, knowledge management platform and capacity building for provincial governments.
He said the coastal and inland flooding programmes would look at ways to help prevent communities from been affected by floods.
Badira said that would include carrying vulnerability assessments, dialogue with relevant stakeholders to prevent natural catastrophes such as coordinating resettlement in the case of Carteret Islands or coordinating between government agencies and communities in building sea walls to prevent rising sea levels from washing away people and property.
He said the office tried to create a platform where information on climate effects could be disseminated through effective communication methods.
Badira said they wanted to up-skill and build the capacity of provincial climate change workers so they carried out their work efficiently and effectively.