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Republic of Vanuatu’s First Biennial Transparency Report (FBTR)
Under the Vanuatu’s First Biennial Transparency Report to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Submitted by: Ministry of Climate Change, Republic of Vanuatu
Executive summary
This inaugural Biennial Transparency Report for Vanuatu serves as a comprehensive overview of the nation’s efforts to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. It encompasses critical aspects of Vanuatu’s national circumstances, greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, progress tracking for nationally determined contributions (NDCs), climate change impacts and adaptation strategies, as well as financial and technological support needs and responses related to climate change. Additionally, the report addresses initiatives aimed at averting, minimizing, and addressing loss and damage associated with climate change impacts.
I. National Circumstances and Institutional Arrangements
Vanuatu’s unique geographical and socio-economic context is characterized by its status as a small island developing state (SIDS), facing significant vulnerabilities due to climate change. This section outlines the institutional frameworks in place to facilitate climate governance, including coordination mechanisms among government agencies, civil society, and local communities. The report emphasizes Vanuatu's commitment to integrating climate action into national development plans, promoting resilience, and ensuring sustainable development.
II. National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
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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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The research project will explore two main processes: First, it will investigate how local actors receive knowledge with which they are confronted in connection with climate change, and how they (re)interpret and transform it during the reception process. Second, it focuses on the subsequent cultural changes and particularly on the potential transformations of fundamental ontological concepts.
In order to obtain data about these topics, ethnographic fieldwork will be undertaken in two places in Vanuatu, during which a number of different qualitative methods are employed. It will be conducted by Dr. Arno Pascht and the doctoral researcher Desirée Hetzel as combination of team and individual research in order to give consideration to the domains of men and women and additionally of other cultural differences in Vanuatu, for instance those between rural and urban regions.
According to requirements the project will engage local research assistants and language teachers.
There is no other similar project at the moment in Vanuatu.
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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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Welcome to our readers to this fourth edition of the NAB Secretariat newsletter. This quarterly newsletter is an initiative to share information on the Secretariat’s activities in coordinating The United Nations Framework of Conventions for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Conference of the parties COP27 that was hosted in “Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. The related programs and initiative aiming at strengthening and increasing the resilience of our people and communities to the issues affecting them as a result of climate change and natural disasters, in which are are putting forward our Climate Action for our nation.
In this Fourth edition, we provide an overview of the summary of submissions to UNFCCC, COP27 Brief Summary, the main thematic groups and the roles of the lead for the Vanuatu delegates in COP27, and all the summary outcomes for more than five (5) thematic areas, as during the COP27 Vanuatu had representation of over five (5) different thematic areas which includes, Climate Finance, Adaptation, Loss & Damage, Mitigation, Article 6, Technology, Enhanced Transparency Framework, Global Stock Take, Research Systematic Observation, Oceans, Gender & Climate Change and Capacity Building. Furthermore there will be a COP27 Delegation Profile Interview - by Mrs Zoe Mahe, That will answers some of your questions to why Vanuatu is attending COP27 in a simple term. In addition there is High Level Segment - Vanuatu President's Statement, HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT - President of Vanuatu Bilateral and with other Head of States and Other highlights – Vanuatu Delegation briefings, side-events and Bilateral.
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Welcome is the third edition of the NAB Secretariat newsletter. This quarterly newsletter is an initiative to share information on the Secretariat’s activities in coordinating climate change and disaster risk reduction related programs and initiative aiming at strengthening and increasing the resilience of our people and communities to the issues affecting them as a result of climate change and natural disasters.
In this third edition, we provide an overview of the third (3) and fourth (4) NAB Meetings, the list of projects and documents endorsed by the NAB Board Meetings in year 2022, the staff profile for the NAB secretariat staff, The Launching of the CCDRR second edition and the implementations Phase Two (2), the NAB portal training for both government sectors and non-government sector. Furthermore in this edition we have the provincial awareness held in Tafea and Sanma Province for the CCDRR Policy awareness workshop, followed with the climate change symposium in santo hosted by the Department of Climate Change (DoCC) and The International Day of Risk Reduction (IDRR Day) hosted in Shefa province at the Eton Village.
The NAB Secretariat Team would also liked to welcome our new staff joining the NAB Secretariat office and There are more key activities and highlights carried out this year on the third quarter of this year 2022, which supports the function of the National Advisory Board on CCDRR (NAB) in Vanuatu and the Ministry of Climate Change and Adaptation. We hope you will find it to be informative and interesting to read. You can find out more by contacting our office at the Ministry of Climate Change Complex in Port Vila or by checking the NAB Portal www.nab.vu.
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Klaemet & Osen Aotluk long Mei 2023VMGD I pablisem Klaemet mo Osen Aotluk evri manis blongapdetem pablik mo ol sekta long ol klaemet kondisen, olsem:● El Niño Southern Oscillation (El Niño-La Niña saekol);● Renfol;● Maximum mo minimum atmosferik tempretja;● Si sefes tempretja;● Si levol raes;● Coral blijing;● Ol taed mo fes blong mun.
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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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Welcome is the second edition of the NAB Secretariat newsletter. This quarterly newsletter is an initiative to share information on the Secretariat’s activities in coordinating climate change and disaster risk reduction related programs and initiative aiming at strengthening and increasing the resilience of our people and communities to the issues affecting them as a result of climate change and natural disasters. In this second edition, we provide an overview of the Secretariat staff and their positions, the NAB Board members Lists and their Alternates members list confirmed for year October 2021, the List of Projects and documents endorsed by the National Advisory Board members on NAB Meetings for Year 2021 and key activities and highlights carried out this year on the second quarter which supports the function of the National Advisory Board on CCDRR (NAB) in Vanuatu. We hope you will find it to be informative and interesting to read.
You can find out more by contacting our office at the Ministry of Climate Change Complex in Port Vila or by checking the NAB Portal www.nab.vu.
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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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OSCAR is a new agro-meteorological information system that VanKIRAP partner, the APEC Climate Centre (APCC), has been developing with the assistance of the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department (VMGD), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and farmers from across the country.
The OSCAR system uses a combination of computer climate models and locally-recorded climate data to generate agro-meteorological bulletins (‘agromet’ bulletins for short), and assessments of the local climate and how climate conditions are likely to affect crop yields throughout the country.
OSCAR gives DARD field extension officers and individual farmers access to a tailored climate information-based decision support and extreme climate early warning system.
It allows DARD and farmers alike to make informed decisions about crop planting, based on what is happening in the climate at the local level. OSCAR is available as web application and will soon be part of the VMGD website.
Additionally, the agromet bulletins will be disseminated via email, social media, national television and radio, in print, and through VanKIRAP’s network of community climate centres.
All print and online versions will also be available in Bislama soon. The program for the official ceremony is available below.
Accessing OSCAR online
Please open a web browser on your mobile phone (with internet access), and enter the following URL: http://oscar.gov.vu/lite/mobile.do
Users can switch between the OSCAR 'lite' version, designed for low internet bandwidth areas and the 'full' mode with high resolution graphics. Press the 'lite' button on the top left corner to switch between the two modes.
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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 Vanuatu Klaetmet Infomesen Blong Ready, Adapt mo Protekt (Van-KIRAP) Project is developing and delivering climate data, information,decision support tools and associated knowledge products in the form of climate inofrmation services to raise climate awareness and guide decision-making for a range of key stakeholders in Vanuatu.
The climate information services are relevent services are relevant across multiple time scales including current and future climate, and relate to five priority sectors: infrastructure, water, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.
The product, specifically relevant over multi-decadal (climate change) timescale, are presented in multiple formats, including hard copy and digital, and are accessible via a new cloud-based portal hosted by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Harzards Department (VMGD).
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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 Project Profile for this Project - "Restoring and Protecting Biodiversity, Coastal Landscapes and Climate Change Resilience through Nature Based Solutions, Women and Youth Entrepreneurship in Vanuatu."
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The project will improve climate change resilience, food security and livelihood opportunities through community led NBS in coastal communities in Vanuatu. The expected impact is improved and resilient biodiversity, coastal lands, nearshore aquatic resources and livelihoods for the local population.
Primarily, the project will benefit the governments of Vanuatu, and will directly improve the lives of 22,500 beneficiaries/5,000 households equally distributed across Vanuatu. Women and youth will be prioritized, but because the project aims to improve biodiversity, coastal lands, nearshores and aquatic resources, it will benefit the entire populations of Vanuatu.
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This Environment and Social Impact Assessment and Management Plan have been prepared for The Pacific Community (SPC), to inform the project design of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Funding Proposal titled: Enhancing Adaptation and Community Resilience by Improving Water Security in Vanuatu. This project will deliver adaptation action for Vanuatu’s water infrastructure and community users and will ensure gender mainstreaming in the paradigmatic shift being proposed
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Long yia ia 2023, Dipatmen blong Klaemet Jenj I stap long aelan blong Ambae long Penama provins blong hostem annual event blong Climate Change mass kampen awareness abaot wok blong em wetem ol patna blong em...evriwan long Penama Province I welkam blong join long ol activiti we bambae i happen long taem ia ..
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Long yia ia 2023, Dipatmen blong Klaemet Jenj I stap long aelan blong Ambae long Penama provins blong hostem annual event blong Climate Change mass kampen awareness abaot wok blong em wetem ol patna blong em...evriwan long Penama Province I welkam blong join long ol activiti we bambae i happen long taem ia ..
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