Samoa urges country leadership in climate change financing

Samoa urges country leadership in climate change financing

30th November 2011

Busan, Republic of Korea, 30 November 2011 – Samoa has told the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness underway in Busan, Republic of Korea that country leadership is one fundamental foundation upon which to build the effectiveness of external sources of climate change finance.

Samoa’s Minister of Finance, Hon. Faumuina Faaolatane Tiatia Liuga told the plenary session on climate change and development effectiveness that “climate change and development are inseparable.”

“Pacific island countries are among those most vulnerable to climate change impacts and the least able to respond. These impacts have the potential to erode many gains in development,” said Hon. Liuga.

The Samoan Minister of Finance said there is growing interest in what will be a central challenge for the next decade, making effective use of scaled up climate finance. He questioned how will countries strengthen the effectiveness of climate change.

“One way is to build the necessary conditions for countries to be able to lead decision making over the prioritization of climate related investments wherever the finance comes from – whether they be external or domestic sources.”

Hon. Liuga added: “We will need to build at the country level to ensure that the management of climate finance is truly country led. We will need to consider how some external sources of climate change can be included in government planning and budgeting process, how climate related projects and programmes can be delivered now in ways that also build capacities, and for putting more and more external sources of climate finance through government financial management systems.”

“We need to ensure aid effectiveness through reviewing climate change public expenditure and institutional architecture to strengthen its efficiencies,” Minister Liuga said.

Hon. Liuga said that the lessons from any years of ODA management show that there is one fundamental foundation upon which to build the effectiveness of external sources of climate finance – country leadership.

Samoa has developed a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), Samoa Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, a National Disaster Management Plan, and a National Sustainable Development Strategy.

“In the development of its new development strategy, Samoa will focus on integrating climate change and environmental issues in its medium and long term plan to ensure ownership of the programe,” said Minister Liuga.

Samoa’s Finance Minister also told the high level forum that climate change adaptation allocations for Pacific countries should not be diverted to other developing countries, but instead accrue in funding modalities that allow them to draw down in a sustainable and predictable manner accordingly with their institutional human capacity. Consideration should also be given to setting up trust funds.

ENDS

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