USAID CLIMATE READY

PAPUA NEW GUINEA CLIMATE CHANGE AND
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY:
JOINT ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT
REPORT

The Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) was established in 2015 to
coordinate Papua New Guinea’s response to climate change. In 2016 CCDA was
appointed the National Designated Authority (NDA) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF),
which means that the agency is responsible for the coordination of all GCF activities in
PNG. In 2017, CCDA, with support from USAID Climate Ready and the Global Green
Growth Institute (GGGI), applied for capacity development support to the GCF’s
Readiness and Preparatory Support program and was subsequently awarded a grant of
US$667,427 to support institutional strengthening measures at CCDA, specifically with
respect to its functioning as the GCF NDA. GGGI was selected as the Delivery Partner
for this grant. To assist with implementation of the grant, CCDA requested USAID
Climate Ready support in identifying gaps and developing specific recommendations for
improving the effectiveness of CCDA as Papua New Guinea’s NDA to the GCF.
To fulfill this request, USAID Climate Ready has conducted a Joint Organizational
Assessment (JOA) to identify the existing strengths and weaknesses at CCDA with
respect to its functioning as the NDA. The JOA procedure included a policy/institutional
review, a series of facilitated workshops and discussions with CCDA staff, and
interviews with key stakeholders (within and outside CCDA). Data and information
collected were then analyzed based on the narrative description and logical framework
of the CCDA/GGGI Readiness and Support Proposal (specifically Outcome 1: “Country
Capacity Strengthened”), and compared to the roles and responsibilities of the NDA as
described in relevant GCF guidance. This analysis informed several recommendations
for strengthening the institutional and human resource capacity of the NDA. This
analysis was conducted over the course of Q2-Q3 2018. The overall JOA process and
resulting recommendations can be seen as addressing the overall strengthening of the
NDA to perform its functions as required by the GCF.
The Joint Organizational Assessment procedure consisted of three primary activities.
The first activity was a rapid desk review of the legal, institutional, and governance
framework for climate change action in Papua New Guinea. This review included
strategies and policies related to climate change and sustainable development. The
second activity was a series of guided discussions and workshops with CCDA staff.
These guided discussions provided insights about the strengths and weaknesses of the
Authority from the perspective of the people who work there. The last activity was a
series of in-depth key informant interviews with CCDA management, representatives
from coordinating and line agencies, as well as private sector and INGO stakeholders.
The data from these three activities was then synthesized and analyzed to inform
several recommendations for enhancing the institutional and human resource capacities
of the CCDA to empower the Authority to better fulfil its responsibilities as the NDA for
the GCF.
Although the JOA originally intended to focus specifically on actions to strengthen the
NDA, findings indicated some weaknesses in terms of enabling conditions in the host institution (CCDA) that would likely hinder/severely limit effective functioning of the
NDA. Therefore the recommendations presented in this report address not only the
core functions of the NDA, but also the institutional enabling conditions that are
necessary for the NDA to function effectively.
Because of this, the recommendations of the JOA have been grouped into two broad
categories: 1) supporting the establishment of enabling conditions for effective
functioning of the NDA; and 2) support for primary NDA functions. Key
recommendations are listed below.
Supporting establishment of enabling conditions
 Provide support for the development of a corporate plan for CCDA which
includes specific reference to the NDA, formalized relationships with other
government agencies and non-government stakeholders, and a new
organizational structure that is consistent with the responsibilities delegated to
CCDA, including its role as the GCF NDA.
 Provide support for the development of implementing regulations for the Climate
Change Management Act (CCMA). The CCMA of 2015, which established
CCDA, delegated significant powers and responsibilities to the Authority.
However, the implementing regulations for much of the CCMA have yet to be
formulated. CCDA currently has limited capacity to develop these regulations
and thus technical support to develop regulations and to build the capacity within
CCDA to develop additional regulations in the future should be prioritized.
Support for primary NDA functions
 Institutionalize learning from the Readiness and Preparatory Support project,
including establishing a core group of GCF focal points within line and
coordinating agencies, developing knowledge products for NDA constituent
stakeholders, and developing operational manuals for CCDA staff.
 Develop awareness raising/project facilitation tools. Technical support should be
provided to develop a range of capacity development materials and tools
designed to facilitate the development of a pipeline of bankable GCF projects.
These materials would include general information knowledge products as well
as more technically-oriented tools and support materials for direct access
accreditation and project development. The design of the tools and knowledge
products should give CCDA maximum control and oversight of GCF project
development.
 Clarify synergies between the Readiness Support project and the UNDP National
Adaptation Plan (NAP) support project. There is the potential for significant
overlap between these projects, which would lead to redundant activities.
However, with proper coordination, synergies could be identified and exploited,
enhancing the outcomes of both projects.
 Establish capacity building partnerships. Currently CCDA does not have the
resources or staff to implement capacity building activities, but both CCDA’s
general mission and the specific responsibilities of the NDA require these
abilities. Rather than establishing these capabilities at CCDA, the Authority should explore the possibility of partnerships with external organizations (e.g.
academic institutions) that already have strong capacity development
capabilities.
 Formalize and institutionalize horizontal and vertical coordination. Several of the
NDA’s tasks will require vertical and horizontal coordination, yet there is currently
no mechanism for this. The current staffing levels make it difficult for the NDA to
develop these coordination mechanisms without technical support, yet
coordination is an essential prerequisite for developing a no objection procedure
and a GCF country program. Technical support for establishing a coordination
mechanism should be couched within a broader effort to improve coordination
between CCDA, government agencies, and non-government stakeholders.
 Establish a system for proposal tracking and monitoring and evaluation in
accordance with GCF guidelines. A tracking mechanism would assist NDA staff
in carrying out their duties, and would also increase transparency and would be
of great utility to project proponents, accredited entities, development partners,
and other stakeholders.
 Formulate a plan for identifying and supporting the identification and nomination
of a direct access entity(s) and develop knowledge products to support the
accreditation process. It is clear that Papua New Guinea’s climate change
adaptation and mitigation efforts would benefit greatly from having at least one
direct access accredited entity. The nomination of these entities is the
responsibility of the NDA; however, it should be recognized that accreditation is a
long and resource-intensive process. According to recent information from the
GCF, in many early cases where countries have enthusiastically pursued direct
access, it became clear later on that the direct access entities that received
accreditation were not aligned to the adaptation and mitigation priorities of the
countries in question, and therefore were not well-positioned to develop and
implement bankable projects consistent with those priorities. Thus the process of
seeking accreditation should not be targeted at organizations that would be
easiest to accredit, but rather those that are most aligned with PNG’s adaptation
and mitigation objectives. This requires a correspondingly higher level of
engagement and technical expertise on the part of the NDA.