The new Climate FIRST project funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) represents Australia’s continuing investment in Papua New Guinea (PNG) under the PNG-Australia Climate Change Action Plan to tackle the adverse impacts of climate change in PNG and build stronger, climate resilient and socially inclusive communities and peoples. The project aims to achieve this by scaling up PNG’s access to domestic and international climate finance and green investments through traditional global climate finance facilities, increased private sector contributions and innovative financing mechanisms including MSME development.
The project was launched by the National Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop on behalf of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby on 11 March 2024. Since then, Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) were signed between the Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA), Global Green Growth (GGGI) and the seven provinces covered under Climate FIRST on 4 June 2024. These provinces include Eastern Highlands, Enga, Morobe, Milne Bay, Manus, New Ireland and Simbu. The MOU provides a framework for cooperation and collaboration between the three parties to implement Climate FIRST.
The Climate FIRST Inception and Stakeholder Workshop that was held today in Kavieng, New Ireland Province is a next step in the project’s implementation at the subnational level. The workshop will be the first opportunity to bring all New Ireland provincial stakeholders together to discuss and have a shared and common understanding of the project at the provincial level from the outset, aligning expectations and providing a basis for project planning and execution.
The overall goal of the Inception and Stakeholder Workshop is to deliberate on the objectives, scope, benefits and expected results, risks and the implementation arrangements of the project. It will also be a chance to deliberate on existing and new partnerships that will contribute to the expected outcomes of Climate FIRST.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop Ms Debra Sungi, Acting Managing Director of CCDA acknowledged the New Ireland Provincial Administration for remotely signing the MoU for the Climate FIRST Project. “To implement Climate FIRST, CCDA had guided GGGI to observe PNG Government protocol where Hon. Minister Simo Kilepa, Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change has officially written to the Governor Sir Julius Chan to inform him about Climate FIRST and seek his support for its implementation. I did then as Acting MD CCDA also wrote to the Acting Provincial Administrator on the same note. We did the same for the other provinces. This then open the doors for GGGI’s engagement with the provinces.”
Ms Sungi also thanked the Government of Australia for its support through the PNG-Australia Climate Change Action package and GGGI for implementing the Climate FIRST Project within PNG.
The GGGI Country Representative for PNG and Solomon Islands, Mr Saki Tuisolia, also delivered his opening remarks and thanked the Australian Government and DFAT for its funding which will be catalytical in increasing access to climate finance and investments, and to Provincial Government of New Ireland for its continuing support in implementation Climate FIRST.
“Climate FIRST is a timely intervention that is designed to help the province accelerate its climate change agenda and actions through increased access to climate finance and investments.,” he said.
“The project will be locally led meaning that the province will decide on its priority climate investment ideas in line with its Climate Resilience Green Growth (CRGG) Strategy that New Ireland had developed in close collaboration with GGGI during the implementation for the CRGG project in 2022” he added.