JNAP Development and implementation in the Pacific: Experiences, lessons and way forward.

Abstract

Since 2010, Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have taken steps to develop and implement an integrated action plan, or Joint National Action Plan (JNAP), for climate change (CC) and disaster risk management (DRM). Tonga was the first country to develop its JNAP and to get government approval in July 2010, with several other PICs following suit. The development of a JNAP has been encouraged and facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) through its Applied Geosciences Division (SOPAC) and multilateral and bilateral development partners such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), GIZ and the Government of Australia. Countries have also made efforts to systematically implement their JNAPs by accessing domestic resources and financial resources available through bilateral and multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) and climate change finances (CCF). The purpose of this report is to review the JNAP development and implementation process, and assess lessons learnt for future JNAPs in the region. The review focuses on the Cook Islands and Tonga, which have made progress in implementing their JNAP strategies. These countries obtained support from development partners for JNAP implementation. The review also included Tuvalu, which has completed development of its JNAP with Government endorsement, and countries currently in the process of developing their JNAP – Kiribati, Nauru, Niue and the Republic of Marshall Islands. Reference is also made to other countries such as Palau, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, which chose alternative paths to their integration of CC and DRM.