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This project will facilitate the improvement of water supply and sanitation services in 15 rural communities in Vanuatu. Water sources will be improved and the water brought within short walking distance of homes, with better access to improved sanitation facilities in the communities being provided through community driven demand from sanitation marketing initiatives. Governance and management training will be provided for water management committees, and hygiene awareness and training will be facilitated for communities using the PHAST methodology with integrated disaster risk reduction activities included to disaster-proof the new development and raise the community level of resiliency to disasters.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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News
The Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP) is implementing the Climate Information Services for Resilient Development in Vanuatu (CISRD), or Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong redy, adapt mo protekt (Van-KIRAP) Project. As the first part of this project, Tonkin & Taylor International Ltd (T+TI) has been engaged to provide technical expertise on the Van KIRAP Project and the Department of Water Resources to review and update existing flood mitigation guidelines for the Sarakata catchment in Espiritu Santo Island, and to support the development of flood early warning systems in Sarakata.
This report provides a review of the existing Flood Mitigation Guidelines for Sarakata, Pepsi and Solwei Areas (2011) including the evaluation and identification of gaps in terms of early warning systems and long-term climate change considerations. The review has identified the gaps across governance, institutional arrangements, observations, risk knowledge, warning dissemination, and preparedness and response. The following recommendations are provided to address the identified gaps and to inform the development of updated flood mitigation guidelines:
• Strengthened governance and institutional arrangements, relating to:
− Strengthened policies and institutional frameworks at the provincial level including clear roles and responsibilities.
− Clear standard operating procedures for flood early warning system management. − Development of forums to enable coordination and partnerships.
− Update and finalise the Sarakata Flood Management Plan, including establishment of a monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure effective and coordinated governance of flood disaster risk reduction and to foster sustainable development.
• Strengthened observation, monitoring, analysis, and forecasting, relating to:
− Additional observational equipment and supporting services and capacity.
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The Paris Agreement was adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015, during the 21st session of Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and entered into force on 4 November 2016. This landmark agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and requires all Parties to establish robust measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems and to communicate their efforts to UNFCCC. In this context, on 22-Jul-21, GEF approved a project identification form (PIF) and project preparation grant (PPG) submitted by FAO titled ‘Strengthening capacity in the Energy, Agriculture, Forestry, and other Land-use Sectors for Enhanced Transparency in the Implementation and Monitoring of Vanuatu’s Nationally Determined Contribution’.
The project aims to develop Vanuatu’s institutional and human capacities for complying with Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) reporting requirements of the Paris Agreement, and implementation and monitoring of Vanuatu’s Nationally Determined Contribution focusing on Energy, Agriculture, Forestry and other Land-use Sectors. With the MOCC Department of Environment Protection and Conservation (DEPC) of Vanuatu & Department of Climate Change as executing partner, and CBIT as resource partner, the GEF-7 has entrusted FAO for the preparation and implementation of the project.
The project will be executed under the following components and outcomes:
Project Component 1: Strengthening Vanuatu’s institutional arrangements for a robust MRV system for NDC climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.
Outcomes of Project Component 1:
1.1 NDC transparency system in place following the UNFCCC modalities, procedures, and guidelines.
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Vanuatu National Community-based Climate Change Adaptation Project (provisional) Project Profile Form
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Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and disaster risks, routinely being at or near the top of global risk indexes. This high ranking is primarily due to the country’s extreme exposure to natural hazards as well as its limited adaptive capacity. Temperatures in Vanuatu have already increased by approximately 1˚C and are expected to increase further by at least 1˚C by 2030, with increases of up to 3.2˚C by 2090. This increase in temperature is coupled with an increase in sea level of approximately 6mm annually since 1993. This increase is expected to continue and accelerate into the future, with cumulative increases of up to 17cm by 2030 and 63cm by 2090. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is also predicted to increase, and the changing profile of cyclones, storm surges, landslides, flooding, and droughts will result in severe impacts on lives, livelihoods and infrastructure across Vanuatu, affecting both human communities and natural ecosystems.
In recent years, the Government of Vanuatu (GoV) has taken significant steps to improve resilience to natural disasters and adaptive capacity to climate change adaptation. These steps include:
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The Vanuatu National Climate Change Disaster Risk Reduction Policy 2022 - 2030 second edtion
Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and disaster risks. The island nation experiences cyclones, storm surges, landslides, flooding and droughts, which may become more intense as a result of climate change. Vanuatu is also highly exposed to geophysical threats such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as human, animal and plant diseases, and human-caused disasters.
The vision of this Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy is for Vanuatu to be a nation whose communities, environment and economy are resilient to the impacts of climate change and disaster risks. Risks cannot be completely eliminated; however, this policy provides a framework through which risks can be identified, assessed, reduced and managed.
At the global, regional and national levels, disaster risk reduction and climate change agencies, activities and funding have been previously managed separately. A recent shift in philosophy now views the integration of climate change and disaster risk reduction initiatives as the best way to make use of resources and avoid duplication of effort. Vanuatu started this process with the establishment of the National Advisory Board on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in 20121 . The government undertook a risk governance assessment to analyse Vanuatu’s climate change and disaster risk governance capacity and needs at both national and local levels.2 The policy incorporates recommendations from that assessment and draws on local, provincial and national consultations.
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Vanuatu submits this updated and enhanced nationally determined contribution (NDC), in which our politicalleaders, technical experts and civil society have considered how our nation can move to a global net-zerogreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions society (Article 4.1) whilst being resilient to the unavoidable impacts ofclimate change (Article 7.1), minimising, averting and addressing loss and damage (Article 8) in the contextof the long-term temperature goal (Article 2), while determining our financial needs (Article 9) that shall beprovided by developed country Parties in continuation of their existing obligations under the UNFCCC.Vanuatu is already a carbon-negative country. With forests covering 70% of its islands, and its maritimejurisdiction comprising 98% of the nation, the big ocean state of Vanuatu is already a carbon sink -absorbing more carbon dioxide than it produces - thus freely providing a critical environmental serviceto carbon emitting countries around the world. Moving beyond our current Net Zero status, this NDCrecommits Vanuatu to rapidly phasing out fossil fuels, deeply decarbonising and transitioning completelyto a circular economy.Pursuant to Article 4 of the Paris Agreement, and to demonstrate that Vanuatu is an action-focused leaderin its calls for all Parties to make ambitious commitments to limit the global average temperature increase to1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, Vanuatu’s NDC reflects the highest ambitions on adaptation, mitigation,and loss and damage. As per Decision 4/CMA.1, Vanuatu’s information provides clarity, transparency andunderstanding.This updated and enhanced NDC contains 20 Mitigation commitments, 116 Adaptation commitments, 12Loss & Damage commitments and is based on the ambitions, policies and workplans of Vanuatu's frontlinesector agencies.
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The Pacific Risk Resilience programme (PRRP) will focus on strengthening governance mechanisms for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) at the sub-national and local levels. The goal of the programme is: to strengthen the resilience of Pacific island communities to disasters and climate change related risk.
Pacific Risk Resilience Programme is design to supporting and partnership with existing stakeholder’s engagements / activities with a focus on strengthening governance mechanism for Disaster Risk Management and Climate change adaptation at all levels of decision making.
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Project title: “Strengthening capacity in the Energy, Agriculture, Forestry, and other Land-use Sectors for Enhanced Transparency in the Implementation and Monitoring of Vanuatu’s Nationally Determined Contribution”
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National Water Policy PrioritiesThe Vanuatu National Water Policy (2017-2030) seeks to deliver the policy objectives established by the National Sustainable Development Plan (2016-2030) at:- ECO 2.2 to ensure safe water services for all- ENV 4.2 to protect community water sources- ENV 4.7 to build community natural resource management capacity- SOC 3.2 to reduce communicable diseases- SOC 6.5 to strengthen local authorities to enable decentralised service delivery- SOC 6.6 to strengthen physical planning to meets the need of a growing populationto achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for water that include:6.1: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 20306.3: Improve water quality by halving untreated wastewater and increasing safe reuse globally by 20306.4: Increase water‐use efficiency and ensure sustainable withdrawals to address water scarcity by 20306.5: Implement integrated water resources management at all levels by 20306.6: Protect and restore water‐related eco‐systems, including wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes by 20206.7A: Expand international cooperation in water related activities and programmes by 2030.6.7B: Strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water management.The Vanuatu National Water Policy (2017-2030) has established seven priority areas to strengthen the accountability of the institutions necessary to secure a safe and sufficient, accessible and affordable, reliable and sustainable source of water for all.
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Building on Vanuatu’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 7 (MDG7) target to reduce the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015, and progressive national planning towards the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plan 2016 (NSDP) includes a policy objective (ECO2.2) “Ensure all people have reliable access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.”
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Definition of SubdivisionFor the purpose of this policy, a subdivision is defined as the division of an existing registered lease or registration of a new lease into two (2) or more lots by way of subleases, derivative leases or community titles. Such developments are still subject to the written consent of the Director of Land Surveys per the provisions of Section 12(a) of the Land Leases Act (CAP 163).
Purpose of this policyA To provide a clear purpose and guidelines by which subdivisions may be created and to establish the parameters of the administrative processes to achieve the purpose.B To ensure that the creation of subdivisions results in environmentally and socially sustainable development and an improved quality of life for residents with suitable standards of amenity, access, affordability, disaster risk reduction and health and safety.C To provide equity for all landowners and residents including present and future generations by taking into consideration cultural, economic, and environmental values attached to the land being subdivided.Environmentally & socially sustainableImproved quality of lifeSuitable standards of amenity & access Affordability Disaster riskreductionHealth & SafetyFigure 1: Outcomes of a sound Subdivision Policy.3 General principlesA This Policy is subject to and complements all existing laws of the country. Particular laws whichhave relevance are:i. Land
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The Van- KIRAP Project Sites are the sector case studies- project sites includes these project sites and the sector coordinators:
Agrculture project sites - Mr.Pakoa Leo ,email: Pleo@vanuatu.gov.vu
Fisheries project sites - Ms Nastasia Shing, email: nshing@vanuatu.gov.vu
Infrastructure project sites - none
Tourism project sites - Mr.Moses Bani, email: mosesb@vanuatu.gov.vu
Water sector project site - Mr. Jonah Taviti, email: jtaviti@vanuatu.gov.vu
Each sites
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Volcanic island countries in the Pacific are facing severe issues related to environmental degradation and climate variability. Deforestation and unsustainable land and water use, uncontrolled livestock grazing on fragile lands and poorly planned settlements in environmental and hazard-sensitive areas are drivers of environmental degradation. Drought is a major natural hazard all Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are facing, with agricultural drought presenting a particular problem for the leeward side of larger volcanic islands.
Alongside land resources, the economic and social well-being of PICs are dependent upon the quality and quantity of their freshwater resources. However, the ability of small island countries to effectively develop and manage their water sectors is often constrained by their small size and limited human resource base. In many island countries, factors such as increasing demand for water, rainfall variability, storm water runoff, inadequate sanitation, and waste disposal, threaten economic development and human health.
Fresh groundwater resources in volcanic islands of the Pacific are particularly abundant, as demonstrated by the plethora of freshwater springs, private and public groundwater bores and of major water bottling industries, abstracting substantial volumes of fresh groundwater, particularly in the larger volcanic islands of Fiji. These volcanic aquifers, bearing good potential to meet the needs of domestic and agricultural water demands have barely been developed. On the contrary, groundwater development is concentrated along the more densely populated coastal areas, targeting highly vulnerable shallow coastal aquifers.
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Project title: Enhancing water-food security and climate resilience in volcanic island countries of the Pacific
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Climate change effects such as cyclones, extreme rainfall events, changes in ENSO, increased air temperature and sea level rise will impact on water systems through saltwater intrusion, physical damage and water contamination. As part of Vanuatu’s National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Safe and Secure Water, rural communities are identifying climate risks and adaptation solutions for water systems through Drinking Water Safety and Security Plans (DWSSPs). This project will strengthen the NIP and DWSSP process to address climate change impacts for climate-resilient DWSSPs and adapted water supplies through water protection zones and physical water system improvements.
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Van-KIRAP will support VGMD to provide five target sectors, including the Water Resources Divisionand its stakeholders, with climate information ready to be used in current and planned activities. Asector Coordinator in the Water Resources Division will co-ordinate the Water and Climate Action andCommunication Plan to advance the mainstreaming of climate information services into Water policy,planning, design and delivery.This document reviews existing information on climate and climate change as they affect Vanuatu’sWater sector and summarises current policies, strategies and frameworks. It provides the WaterClimate Action Plan and Communication Plan developed through a collaboration between the WaterResources Division and the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD).
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Van-KIRAP will support VGMD to provide five target sectors, including the Department of Tourism andits stakeholders, with climate information ready to be used in current and planned activities. A sectorCoordinator in the Department of Tourism will co-ordinate the Tourism and Climate Action andCommunication Plan to advance the mainstreaming of climate information services into Tourismpolicy, planning, design and delivery.This document reviews existing information on climate variability and change as they affect Vanuatu’s tourism sector and summarises current policies, strategies and frameworks. It provides the Tourism Climate Action Plan and Communication Plan developed through a collaboration between the Department of Tourism and the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD).
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