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K70m for Climate change affected communities in PNG

By Online Editor
4:41 pm GMT+12, 23/09/2013, Papua New Guinea

Donor funding for climate resilience and adaptation will be accessible by communities affected by climate change, a workshop in Papua New Guinea has told.

Environmental consultant George Henry de Berdt Romilly said PNG would be receiving US$30 million (K70 million) from donors from the United Kingdom, United States and Japan.

Romilly told the PNG Strategic Programme for Climate Resilience (SPCR) workshop that the money would be divided into two parts to help communities affected by climate change.

“The money from the climate investment fund will be divided, with $US10 million (K24.9 million) going into a trust fund so that affected communities can write proposals and access the funds for adaptation methods,” he said.

He said the trust fund that would hold the $US10 million would be managed by the Office of Climate Change and Development (OCCD).

“Communities with devastated areas of climate change can help themselves with funding of equipment and training to help with adaptation methods,” Romilly said.

“Communities can write proposals and cross-check with OCCD to clear funding from as low as K20,000 for purchase of material like tanks and equipment,” he said.

Meanwhile, climate change is a cross cutting issue that affects many sectors in the country, Office of Climate Change and Development senior analyst Joe Pokana says.

While making a presentation on the government’s perspective on critical partnership towards enhancing Papua New Guinea’s capacity and capability at all layers of society , Pokana said the humanitarian organisation would now be part of the technical working group of the office and take part in discussions on issues that would eventually become workable policies.

The Office of Climate Change and Development sponsored the Red Cross Society meeting at the Institute of Public Administration.

It was attended by society volunteers, representatives from its 14 branches around the country and development partners.

“Build networks to bring sustainability in the country,” he said.

Pokana highlighted the Red Cross Society was a stakeholder group non-government organisation.

“These stakeholders will be informed and educated about climate change, test and refine strategies i.e. pilot projects, align key stakeholders and promote and prove efficiency of OCCD.

“As a coordinating entity OCCD builds on the support and participation of a broad range of stakeholders with existing projects in the country that are implemented by the stakeholders with adaptation, REDD and mitigation projects.”.

SOURCE: THE NATIONMAL/PACNEWS