By Delly Waigeno – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Climate change mitigation in Papua New Guinea has finally got much needed support worth over twenty million US dollars.
The funds will drive a Climate Change pilot project which will be implemented over six years, beginning this year.
Minister for Climate Change, John Pundari, urged the project managers to use the funds to put tangible assistance and development in the affected coastal communities of PNG.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the PNG Government today signed grant and project agreements to help PNG build its resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The agreements will now see ADB provide US$24.25 million grant. The money is sourced from ADB’s Strategic Climate Fund.
Treasury Minister, Patrick Pruaitch, said the process of accessing these funds began four years ago when he was then Minister for Climate Change.
The “Building Resilience to Climate Change” project will be piloted in 21 vulnerable coastal communities in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, East New Britain, Manus, Milne Bay and Morobe Provinces.
The project costs US$27.29 million. US$24.25 million is being provided by ADB and the balance of over US$2 million by the PNG Government.
Minister for Climate Change, John Pundari, thanked the ADB for the assistance.
According to ADB’s Economics of Climate Change on the Pacific report, PNG’s economy is likely to suffer the biggest losses from climate change in the Pacific.
