Vanuatu NAB Search
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This UNDP-supported, GEF-LDCF funded project, "Vanuatu Coastal Adaptation Project (VCAP)", is working to build resilience through improved infrastructure, sustained livelihoods, and increased food production.
These efforts (with National Government as Key Collaborators) aim to improve the quality of life in targeted vulnerable areasor communities in the coastal zone of the island nation.
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Vanuatu is among the most vulnerable countries on earth to the increasing impacts of climate change, including climate-related natural disasters and the effects of slow-onset events such as sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
As the effects of global warming manifest and the hazards of climate change arise at accelerating rates, there is a need to shift the paradigm towards the standardised and mainstreamed use of science-based climate information, at multiple timescales, to support resilient development pathways.
The proposed project will support this paradigm shift through the strengthening and application of Climate Information Services (CIS) in five targeted development sectors: tourism; agriculture; infrastructure; water and fisheries.
More specifically, the project will build the technical capacity in Vanuatu to harness and manage climate data; develop and deliver practical CIS tools and resources; support enhanced coordination and dissemination of tailored information; enhance CIS information and technology infrastructure; and support the application of relevant CIS through real-time development processes, for more resilient outcomes.
The project has a focus on addressing information gaps and priority needs of target beneficiaries at national, provincial and local community levels across the five priority sectors.
The project will deliver enhanced:
capacity and capability of national development agents, to understand, access and apply CIS
CIS communications, knowledge products, tools, and resources for practical application to development processes.
reliability, functionality, utility and timeliness of underlying CIS delivery systems and data collection infrastructure.
scientific data, information and knowledge of past, present and future climate to facilitate innovated and resilient development.
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The Effectiveness of Formal and Traditional Learning about Climate and Disaster Resilience in Vanuatu
by Charles Andrew Evan Pierce
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The VanKIRAP Communications Strategy, Version 2.9 August 2022
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Vanuatu is unique among the Paris Agreement parties that have produced Low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) and Long-Term Strategies (LTS). Vanuatu is already net negative for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Vanuatu’s large forest area removes more than 10 times the GHG emissions generated from human activity.
Yet, Vanuatu’s own pathway of reducing emissions demonstrates the commitment it seeks at a global level to address climate change. The guiding vision for the LEDS is the following: Reduce emissions across all sectors in a way that supports resilient, sustainable, and equitable growth for its people.
The Vanuatu LEDS provides sector by sector review of alignment with the vision for reduced emissions mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. It assists mainstreaming of emissions mitigation and adaptation in key sectors: energy, transport, waste management, livestock, forestry and agriculture, and water and health. It brings new insights, attention, and engagement with strategic policy challenges and in doing so, identifies new and complementary actions to those actions described in short- and medium-term strategies.
Vanuatu’s energy sector has ambitious mitigation targets to 2030, as described in the National Energy Road Map (NERM) and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). For the most part, these strategies and targets align with the vision of the LEDS to reduce emissions through to 2050. Additional actions are needed to meet the LEDS vision, including enhancing existing programmes to meet the electricity demand outside of grid concession areas, promoting a clean cooking transition, scaling up coconut oil production and improving climate resilience and adaptation planning in the energy sector.
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World Fisheries Day is celebrated annually on November 21. The annual event recognises the importance of our fisheries whether it’s coastal or offshore. Additionally, it is a call for restoration of some of our degraded ecosystems that support important fisheries. One of which is seagrass. Seagrass is an important blue carbon ecosystem providing ecosystem goods and services such as carbon storage, shoreline protection, food security, tourism revenue and water quality. It is a highly efficient carbon sink, storing up to 18 per cent of the world’s oceanic carbon. According to the UN, twenty-one per cent of seagrass species are categorized as Near Threatened, Vulnerable and Endangered Species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Furthermore, it is estimated that 7 per cent of this key marine habitat is being lost worldwide per year.<br>
Seagrass in the Pacific<br>
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Starting Situation
Seagrass, mangroves and salt marshes sequester carbon at rates up to 66 times faster than terrestrial forests and store up to 5 times more carbon per hectare. Pacific Island Countries (PICs) possess significant Seagrass and Mangrove (SaM) resources, providing further ecosystem services related to shoreline protection, food security, tourism revenue and water quality. Habitat loss has been increasing rapidly, yet no adequate baselines exist to determine extent of habitats, rates of loss, or design of targeted management solutions. Methods for the assessment of carbon stocks and emissions in SaM areas exist since 2012, but have not been applied consistently to SaM areas in PICs. Policy makers and researchers note the urgent need to collect nationally relevant SaM data based on consistent methods, that ensure transparency and traceability to mitigate the loss of the world’s coastal carbon sinks and reduce the decline of coastal biodiversity.
Short Project Description
In close collaboration with national and regional partners (SPREP, SPC, USP, CSIRO, CIFOR) and the “Blue Planet” Initiative within the global Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the project will be mapping the SaM status in each of the 4 partner countries, and will assess related carbon storage capacity and ecosystem services. Resulting national inventories of SaM habitats, and associated blue carbon sinks and ecosystem service values will support government partners and policy makers in their efforts to strategically develop and implement conservation, management and rehabilitation efforts. Governments will be assisted to establish nationally appropriate incentives for sustainable management and rehabilitation efforts based on the quantification and documentation of SaM carbon stocks and the resulting emission reductions as part of NDCs and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs).
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In July 2021, UNOSAT and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) signed a new cooperation framework to sustain and expand their longstanding efforts to strengthen capacities in the use of geospatial information technologies for improved resilience in the Asia-Pacific and Africa.This 3 year-long project builds on previous experiences and aims to further enhance capacities by leveraging technological advances and innovation and providing integrated geospatial solutions for improved decision making in the fields of Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Resilience, Environmental Preservation & Food Security in the eight target countries: Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Lao PDR, Nigeria, and Uganda.An innovative user-centred capacity development approach will be applied for the implementation of this project, and it is comprised of:• Technical Training: Through the implementation of this project in each target country, UNOSAT will offer a total of three technical trainings custom-tailored to the country’s needs, with focus on climate finance, geospatial information technology, and disaster risk management. The courses will be delivered to both executive managers and technical staff, through three main approaches: face-to-face, blended learning, and e-learning solutions.• Knowledge Platform & Community of Practice: The project team will also implement a central Knowledge Platform for the project, this will serve as an integrated learning environment for all distance-learning solutions and the main meeting point of UNOSAT’s community of practice, all aiming at sustaining the project outcomes and increasing its impact. The knowledge platform will also facilitate cross country knowledge and expertise sharing for tackling common challenges.
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The development of the Vanuatu Vehicle Emission Standards Policy Brief is a joint effort led by the Government of Vanuatu through the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology & Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, with technical support from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and inputs from various key stakeholders in Vanuatu. The Government would like to thank all individuals and groups and in particular fuel importers and sellers in Vanuatu who have contributed by providing vital information, data, participating in consultations and meetings and reviewing the documents. A special thanks to the GGGI team in particular Dr. Julia Hollnagel, Senior Officer for Pacific Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Mr. Jesse Benjamin, Senior Program Officer for Vanuatu and Miguel Londoño, Program Manager for the Low Emissions Climate Resilient Development (LECRD) Program. We also acknowledged the support from Ian Twomey, Director of Envisory Group in New Zealand who have contributed to the National Fuel Standards Policy Brief. Vanuatu has been a proud member of GGGI since 2014 and GGGI is proud to support Vanuatu’s green growth and climate resilient future. The Vanuatu Vehicle Emission Standards Policy Brief has been produced with the financial support of the Government of New Zealand under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) through the Pacific Regional Low Emissions Climate Resilient Development (LECRD) Program.
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This document provides policy recommendations and an implementation timeline for the introduction of vehicle emission standards in Vanuatu. The absence of local car manufacturing industry and quality requirements for newly imported vehicles risks Vanuatu becoming a dumping ground for inefficient and polluting vehicles. This makes the adoption of vehicle emission standards a viable first step. The proposed approach suggests restricting the import of older, high-polluting vehicles without requiring additional testing equipment or new procedures for roadworthiness inspections. The implementation of vehicle emission standards will gradually reduce the average emission rates in the fleet over time. It is recommended to introduce phased requirements for imported vehicles to adhere to specific European ‘Euro’ emission standards, which are widely recognized and used by many countries and manufacturers worldwide. The adoption of the Euro standards eliminates the need for extensive research to establish a new global norm and allows for future upgrades to higher Euro standards. A balanced approach emphasizes the importance of positive re-enforcement, including public awareness campaigns, education, and potentially considering special provisions for lower-income groups. The implementation timeline proposes a staggered timeline for the introduction of Euro 4/IV, Euro 5/V, and Euro 6/VI standards. It suggests a minimum one-year gap/transition period between the announcement and restriction to of Euro 4/IV vehicle standards, subsequently also a minimum one-year gap between the Euro 5/V fuel standard adoption and the requirement of adherence to Euro 5/V vehicle emission standards, and a similar staggered timeline for Euro 6/VI and future standards, to accommodate stakeholders’ concerns and adjust supply chains.
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Organizational Expertise Justification:
Members of the consortium have been working in Vanuatu for over 30 years. We have extensive experience working together and with the government of Vanuatu to help address the immediate and long-term needs of Vanuatu communities across the country. We also have strong experience in helping communities recover from the impacts of disaster events.
Members of this consortium were the key partners in a three year, DFAT-supported AU$2 million community-based adaptation project – Yumi stap redi long klaemet jenis – which pioneered a comprehensive approach to helping communities and local governments prepare for, and manage the immediate impacts of climate variability and extremes, while building the capacity of women, men, girls and boys to develop climate-resilient development pathways. CARE and Save the Children built on this foundation to implement a further 16-month, USAID-supported US$0.5 million community-based adaptation project, while Oxfam implemented a further three-year, Margaret A. Cargill-supported US$847,000 community-based resilience program which continued to build on existing networks and aimed to increase collaboration, knowledge sharing and support between communities, NGOs, relevant government departments and development partners around increasing community and government resilience. Our agencies have also worked in collaboration with communities from across the six provinces of Vanuatu, national civil society organisations and government to develop and implement disaster risk reduction projects, such as the DiPECHO funded “Be Better Prepared (Yumi Redi)” series of projects that focused on community-based disaster risk reduction activities and encouraged communities to form Disaster Management Committees and to support sustainable development action across a range of key sectors, including: livelihoods; water, sanitation and hygiene; education; and gender equality.
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The project proposes to support the institutionalization of sustainable transport and electric transport in Vanuatu by i) establishing a coordination body consisting of public and private stakeholders; ii) support the preparation of a gender-responsive national sustainable land transport policy; iii) preparation of a E-Mobility Roadmap including the definition of an incentive scheme, charging network development plan and an innovative end-of-life vehicle strategy; iv) establish statistical systems for the collection, processing, and analysis of key data points for decision-making; and v) capacity building of key stakeholders.
To overcome the challenges and barriers of infrastructure the following actions support the initial uptake of electric vehicles in Vanuatu: i) Feasibility study on the introduction of EVs in a controlled pilot project in Vanuatu to assess applicable technical specification and economic, social and environmental benefits; ii) the deployment of EVs as part of the government vehicle fleet with the integration of Renewable Energy (RE) for vehicle charging within a controlled environment; and iii) technical training for the monitoring, operation and safety of EVs.
C) In coordination with the work on addressing infrastructure and governance challenges, the following will work will be integrated throughout the project: i) preparation of knowledge-sharing material for different target groups; ii) seminars, workshops and hands-on outreach events on sustainable mobility and EVs
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The Project Profile for the - "Support to the Acceleration of Sustainable Land Transport and the Introduction of Electric Mobility in Vanuatu"
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The Government of Vanuatu, with the guidance of the Recovery Operations Centre (ROC) conducted a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pacific Community (SPC). The PDNA, which took place during the months of April and May 2023, was implemented in collaboration with ADB, FAO, UNFPA, UNWOMEN, UNICEF, WHO, ILO, the World Bank.
The purpose of the PDNA was to identify the damage and loss caused by TC Judy and Kevin across all sectors, to assess the macro-economic and human impact of these disasters, to estimate the recovery needs in all sectors, and to inform Vanuatu’s short-, medium- and long-term recovery and reconstruction process through a well-planned Recovery Plan aligned to the country’s National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030. This report presents the final results of the PDNA.
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EXTREME HEAT IMPACTS ON ELECTRICITY DEMAND IN EFATE
This case study examines the impact of temperature on electricity demand in Efate. Guidance around conducting this type of step-by-step assessment is provided in more detail on the Van-KIRAP web portal, along with other case studies (called infobytes), factsheets, visualisation tools and technical resources. This case study can be used as an example for undertaking similar climate hazard-based impact assessments.
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News
By incorporating climate data and information to improve the resilience of road infrastructure, SPREP is assisting Vanuatu through the Climate Information Services for Resilient Development Planning in Vanuatu (VanKIRAP) project in reviewing and updating the current version of the Vanuatu Rural Road Design Guide. The Gap Analysis Report presents findings from a global literature analysis and benchmarking effort in regard to the identification of climate resilience challenges and gaps in the current edition of the Vanuatu road design guidance. It also identifies potential for improvement.
The gap analysis draws upon a series of input documents to develop a log of gaps, issues, and opportunities that need to be addressed in the new design guidance to be developed by the VanKIRAP project. The report also draws upon the issues, gaps, and opportunities identified through stakeholder consultations with national stakeholders within the Infrastructure sector, including the Public Works Department, Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department, and others. Funding for the review and development of the new Vanuatu Road Design Guide is provided by the Green Climate Fund.
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PORT VILA: The people of Tanna now have better access to climate information services thanks to a new Community Climate Centre launched by the Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt (VanKIRAP) Project on 27 February in Isangel, Tanna. The new Centre proved useful from day one, making information about the twin severe tropical cyclones Judy and Kevin available to communities before the cyclones arrived.
Being the most vulnerable country in the Pacific Region to climate related hazards, Vanuatu’s vulnerable communities need adaptive capacity to help prepare themselves for extreme weather and climate-related events. Climate information services (CIS) are tools that give people details about climate and weather so that they can improve their decision-making, planning and preparation about these kinds of events.
The launch of the Tanna Community Climate Centre is a significant outcome for the Tafea Provincial Government and Tanna’s communities. As a demonstration of its relevance and usefulness, the Community Climate Centre was able to provide detailed information to communities and provincial officials about the approaching cyclones Judy and Kevin on the very day the Centre launched, and just days before the cyclones wreaked havoc on Tanna.
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PORT VILA: New climate information products that explain how climate change is likely to affect key sectors of Vanuatu’s economy, and how to plan practical adaptations to address climate risk, were unveiled last week in Port Vila.
The new information products are targeted at an audience of Vanuatu Government policymakers, technical experts, and field officers. They were developed for the Climate Information Services for Resilient Development in Vanuatu Project (known in Bislama as ‘VanKIRAP’) by delivery partner CSIRO, Australia’s national scientific and industrial research organisation.
The products cover Vanuatu’s agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure, tourism and water sectors and incorporate science-based historical data and future projections to identify how climate change is already affecting each sector, and how each will be impacted over the short and long term by climate change.
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PORT VILA: For many in Vanuatu, accessing reliable information about climate and weather can be hard. A new media partnership will use the Vanuatu national broadcaster’s almost 100% coverage footprint to bring everyone in Vanuatu quality, timely and relevant climate and weather information that they can use in their daily lives to plan for and respond to weather events and the changing climate.
The Climate Information Services for Resilient Development in Vanuatu project (known locally by its Bislama acronym, VanKIRAP) and the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC) signed a partnership agreement last Friday to use VBTC’s radio, television, and social media channels to deliver climate and weather information to the nation.
Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries to the increasing impacts of extreme weather events and human-induced climate change. This includes climate-related natural disasters such as cyclones and droughts, as well as more slowly occurring climate change-related impacts like sea level rise and ocean acidification. This media partnership helps address this vulnerability by creating a better informed population, and by ensuring that reliable climate and weather information reaches everyone who needs it.
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The nation has made a significant step forward today with the commissioning of Vanuatu's first ocean climate monitoring and observation buoy network, deployed by the VanKIRAP project.
The Vanuatu Ocean Monitoring Network is a chain of six ocean climate monitoring buoys deployed across the Vanuatu archipelago to monitor how climate change is affecting the ocean around the country, and to provide early warning to communities and key agencies of impending climate-related events.
The buoys are deployed at Port Vila, Efate; Million Dollar Point, Santo; Lonnoc Beach, Santo; Port Resolution, Tanna; Inyeug Island, Aneityum and Tomman Island, Malekula. The buoys measure sea surface temperature, wave direction, wave height, wave period and spread as well as wind speed at each location.
The data that they gather allows VMGD and Dept of Fisheries to issue early warnings to communities for coastal inundation and erosion. The buoys can also provide near real-time data about the impacts of climate-related events like cyclones and marine heatwaves.
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: Climate change and rising sea levels and urbanization in low lying areas will increase the risk of coastal floods, erosion and salinization. Adaptation to reduce future environmental risks is inevitable, but it is unclear which coastal areas will be protected and in which regions residents will be forced to migrate. The EU-ERC COASTMOVE project aims assess how residents of low lying coastal areas can adapt and/or migrate to safer areas. For this, we aim to conduct surveys in 7 coastal areas such as Mozambique, Vietnam, Vanuatu, U.S.
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The aim of the project is to apply Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) to empower targeted communities in Community Conservation Areas (CCA’s) to develop rights-based regenerative climate-smart ridge to reef landscape and food system design and management plans that support food and nutrition security and overall well-being.
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The Project Profile for - "Climate-smart regenerative ridge to reef landscapes for sustaining livelihoods of communities on custom land and food security in Vanuatu."
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The project considers the current Vanuatu’s Off-Grid RE and EE Promotion Program as the main baseline effort towards achieving the country’s NERM targets. This program includes the installation of RE-based (mainly hydro, and solar) power generation and distribution systems, as well as some Energy Efficiency interventions. This project aims to fill in critical gaps in Vanuatu’s baseline program.
Policy and planning: The project will identify important policy and planning gaps and institutionalize existing policies and plans in place (NERM-IP Plan and NERM) in the baseline program that it will fill, such as guidelines, standards, and incentive policies.
Institutional: The project will focus and represent relatively innovative incremental aspects. System management will be a critical feature in the sustainability of rural RE systems and their replication and thus an instrumental contribution towards meeting NERM targets.
Capacity development: While Vanuatu has substantial baseline program efforts to install RE systems in off-grid areas, training is very limited and generally consists of one-time training upon installation of systems. For larger-scale systems, capturing wind energy, equipment sourcing, and installation capacity is absent.
Green transport: The project will aim to set example of green transport mechanism by introducing electric vehicles
Financing for energy efficiency: The focus will be given to educating the commercial private sector to set up a loan or equity financing mechanism for Energy Efficiency Equipment and productive uses in rural areas.
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The Project Profile for - "Barrier Removal for Achieving the National Road Map Targets for Vanuatu Phase II (BRANTV II)"
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Director General , Mrs Esline Garaebiti ( brief statement):
The year 2021 also set milestones for the ministry in reviewing existing policies and legal frameworks with the development of relevant indicators targets. The Climate change and Disaster Risk Reduction policy 2022-2030 is reviewed and its implementation plan was developed. Other reporting required under the United nation framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been completed, particularly the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the Third National Communication (TNC), and the First Biennial Updated Report (FBUR). Numerous materials for education, outreach, and awareness have been developed by all departments and disseminated during national and international days for Meteorology, Environment, Disaster, Energy, and Climate Change.
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Director General's - Mrs Esline Garaebiti Statement brief:
The year 2022 was a challenging and successful one for the Ministry of Climate Change. The achievements outlined herein, is a demonstration of a strong and dedicated team effort by the Ministry. The year 2022 began with the COVID19 lock down of nearly two months, which set us some challenging targets. This meant reprioritising existing work schedules, adjusting budgets and resource flows as well as mobilizing staff to ensure the deadlines were met while still balancing the need to keep on track with existing initiatives and priorities. I will leave the Directors in their Department Reports to provide details on the successful achievement according to their Business Plans activities for the year. I wish to point out that this would not have been achieved without the hard work of the officers serving on the Ministry ofClimate Change team
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