A two-day Climate Change Donor Roundtable started on October 18  at the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, and focused on Tonga’s Joint National Action Plan for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management.

Offshore donors, development partners and regional crop agencies are coming together with Tonga government officials, who are leading Tonga’s response to climate change.

The Minister of MEIDECC, Hon Poasi Tei said he hoped discussions would offer great insight into “the mechanics” of climate change in Tonga and allow for open and in depth dialogue that will focus on potential opportunities and enhanced partnerships. 

He said this was the second roundtable, with the first in 2012, however this was the first time invitations were extended to more offshore donors, development partners and regional crop agencies.

Tonga’s Joint National Action Plan (JNAP) on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management 2018 is at the centre of this forum. The plan was the first of its kind in the Pacific, regarding the implementation of national climate change priorities across all sectors and identifiing appropriate areas for donor input.

The Minister said he hoped the deliberations would help Tonga move toward implementation of more activities under this plan. A climate resilient and low emission development pathway was essential in order to safeguard Tonga’s social, economic, and environmental aspirations.

Joint National Action Plan for Climate Change

JNAP is a planning project that will track and implement national climate change priorities across all sectors. He said it is viewed as the most viable entry point for all climate related assistance to Tonga. The meeting looks at transitioning implementation from the JNAP 2010-2015 (JNAP1) to the next JNAP 2018-2028 (JNAPII).

Day one of the roundtable included seven sessions presented on the topics of Climate Action overview, JNAPII Development, Stocktaking Climate Change Initiatives, Green Climate Fund Country Programme, Climate Change Trust Fund, Climate Change Trust Fund Bill, and Climate Change Investment Policy and Resource Mobilization.

The roundtable ends on the second day, with the Government of Tonga holding bilateral meetings with donors, development partners and regional agencies, including representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, JICA, UNDP, SPC, Pacific Island Development Forum, the Global Green Growth Insititute and local stakeholders.

The meeting is hosted by the Department of Climate Change in cooperation with EU-GIZ ACSE and the Green Climate Fund Readiness Program.