A total of Euro €2.7 million has been pledged as part of a collaboration between the Kingdom of Denmark and the Pacific Community (SPC) to help in addressing loss and damage caused by climate change.  Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended the signing in Suva.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the SPC Director Deputy Director-General Science and Capability, Dr Paula Vivili, and the Denmark Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jørgensen.

They formalised their cooperation in addressing and responding to economic and non-economic Loss and Damage from climate-induced impacts in Pacific Small Island Countries States (PSIDS).

The allocated €2.7 million will help to generate high-quality data, information, and analysis on climate-related risks, as well as to provide technical and financial support to community-led projects within the framework of SPC’s Climate Change Flagship Programme.

The SPC stated that its Climate Change Flagship Programme seeks to enhance climate change services and capability and leverage climate finance in a holistic, strategic, and cohesive way across the region and the organisation.

“During the 27^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27), establishing a Loss and Damage Fund was the highlight of the conference and the culmination of over a decade of negotiations from vulnerable developing countries, including Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).

“In the Pacific, unlocking access to Loss and Damage funds is still challenging in part due to the need for more data and information and the ability to document the unique manifestations of Loss and Damage attributable to climate impacts. To overcome this regional challenge, international support is necessary as is the ability to articulate what Loss and Damage look like and propose solutions to address this.”

The Director of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability at SPC, Coral Pasisi, stated that the MoU marked a welcome step in progressing from promises to delivery in a significant area for our region.

"For many years now, Pacific SIDS have experienced extreme and slow onset events that are causing losses to territory, important resources, critical infrastructure, cultures, and heritage – with serious economic and non-economic impacts – and these are only predicted to grow. We look forward to seeing more partnerships focused on Loss and Damage in the coming years, and we warmly thank Denmark for helping SPC intensify regional cooperation to support PSIDS.”

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The MoU will not only facilitate the implementation of necessary actions, but it will also contribute to the combined efforts of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP). Since 1988, CROP has been working collaboratively towards a shared goal of promoting sustainable development throughout the Pacific region and SPC is proud to be part of this great mission.