On Tuesday, 17 July 2018, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) launched their new online decision support tools for climate change during the IMPACT Regional Workshop at SPREP’s Headquarters in Apia, Samoa.
These decision support tools will add to the functionality of SPREP’s Pacific Climate Change Portal the go-to hub for Pacific climate change information. The tools were developed through the Pacific iCLIM Project, which is a collaboration between SPREP and Griffith University, and funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The project’s main object is to support the regional management of climate change information in the Pacific.
In opening the launch, Ms Tagaloa Cooper Halo, Director of Climate Change Resilience Programme (SPREP) stated that, "SPREP has been working very closely with Griffith University to scope and develop both decision support tools. These tools are designed to help Pacific countries navigate climate change adaptation and finance, and we are very excited to be launching them today."
The Adaptation Project Tool provides Pacific focused guidance on scoping, developing and planning climate change adaptation projects, including assisting users to access resources and develop project concept notes and preliminary project proposals.
The Climate Finance Navigator provides a regional snapshot of multilateral climate funds active in the Pacific, creating a platform for exploring current and upcoming projects. It also serves as a hub to get to know Accredited Entities to the Green Climate Fund active in the Pacific, and provides news and events for users to stay up to date with climate finance news.
Ms Kalara McGregor, Project Manager of the Pacific iCLIM Project (Griffith University) presented the tools to the audience, and explained that, "The tools have been developed in close collaboration with SPREP and its member countries. We are looking forward to the next phase in the development process rolling out a comprehensive pilot program to evaluate and increase uptake of the tools. We are focussed on ensuring that we’re connecting users to the right information at the right time throughout the Pacific region."
The Pacific iCLIM Project commenced in March 2014, and was funded for a second phase in 2016 until December 2019. For more information on the project, please contact: Ms Makelesi Gonelevu, Knowledge Management Officer (SPREP) [email protected] OR Ms Kalara McGregor, Pacific iCLIM Project Manager (Griffith University) [email protected]