US $2m granted for climate change projects
The 4th Assembly of the Global Environment Facility was held recently in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 24-28 May 2010. The Minister for Environment and Culture, Hon Cassey Eggelton represented the Cook Islands Government at the Assembly accompanied by Myra Patai from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.
The main outcome of the 4th Assembly was confirmation that members eligible for funding under the GEF will soon be able to access US$4.25 billion to fund GEF projects. This funding becomes available under the next (fifth) funding cycle beginning in July. Some of the funding will go towards the Fast Start Financing discussed at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December last year attended by the Prime Minister Hon Jim Marurai as well as being channelled towards six key environmental focal areas: climate change, biodiversity, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants, mercury and the ozone layer. Over the next four years the GEF will direct funds to:
• Lower CO2 emissions;
• Expand sustainable management of protected areas and critical landscapes;
• Strengthen multi-state cooperation on trans-boundary water systems management;
• Reduce persistent organic pollutants in land and water, reduce mercury emissions;
• Expand and protect the Earth’s forest cover.
Each country (including the Cook Islands) will receive an approved funding floor of US$2 million for climate change, 1.5m for biodiversity and 0.5m for land degradation. The exclusion of other focal areas -international waters, persistent organic pollutants, mercury and the ozone layer is because of the limited availability of suitable indicators of global environmental benefits. Nevertheless, countries like the Cook Islands can apply for Global Funds under the GEF for projects in these other focal areas.
The following countries from the Pacific participated at the 4th Assembly: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. There were over 800 participants from 114 Member countries and organizations.
GEF-5
The Cook Islands will soon begin discussions to identify priorities to be funded under the GEF STAR. These consultations will be led by the National Environment Service.
The following is a list of some of the projects funded by the GEF under the previous 4 funding cycles for the Cook Islands:
• Prevention, Control and Management of Alien Invasive species
• Integrated conservation management of island biodiversity
• Promoting Energy Efficiency
• Persistent Organic Pesticides monitoring
• POPs release reduction through improved management of solid and hazardous wastes
• Implementing Sustainable Integrated Water Resource and Wastewater Management in the PIC’s
• Building resilience to climate change (Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change)
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