'It's personal': Fiji minister pushes better climate finance at pre-COP
NADI: Fiji’s climate change minister wants streamlined access to financial assistance for Pacific nations, telling AFP on Wednesday the issue was “personal“, with waves washing away parts of her own village.
Nadi, Fiji - Climate change minister Lynda Tabuya is advocating for easier access to financial aid for Pacific island nations, describing the issue as "personal" as it affects her own village. Tabuya has collaborated with Australian minister Chris Bowen to organize the pre-COP meeting in Nadi and Tuvalu, a preparatory event for the upcoming UN climate summit, COP31, to be held in Turkey next month.
She emphasized the urgency of streamlining the delivery of funds for climate solutions, expressing frustration over the lengthy processes often taking three to five years. Tabuya's village, Tiliva on the island of Kadavu, has lost about 4 meters of shoreline due to sea level rise, with some families relocating to higher ground. She highlighted that securing funding for a solar system took more than a decade and criticized the existing finance structure, advocating for a simplified system with grant-based financing.
Tabuya believes Pacific Island nations should take control of their climate finance, and Fiji committed an additional US$10 million to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), which has so far raised less than half of its US$500 million target. The UK's climate envoy, Rachel Kyte, praised the PRF for its potential to reach remote areas directly, bypassing intermediaries and international organizations.
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