Pilot training workshop: Determining the cost of climate change adaptation measures in Fiji

As climate change continues to impact the Fiji group, policy-makers in government and corporate entities are planning several adaptation measures to reduce the impacts of this global issue.

With the support of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, the Fijian Government created its first ever National Adaptation Plan that was launched at a COP24 side event in December, 2018 in Glasgow. The NAP encompasses a holistic adaptation strategy to increase resilience and reduce a country’s vulnerability to climate change impacts in the medium and long terms.

To estimate the costs of the one hundred and sixty adaptation measures in the plan, a NAP Costing Methodology was developed by Fiji’s Ministry of Economy (MoE) and the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division (CCICD).

The participants of the National Adaptation Plan Costing Methodology Pilot Training Workshop joined by EU Delegation Program Manager Gabor Sasvari, MoE Climate Adaptation Specialist Shivanal Kumar and SUPA Consultant Kenneth Andrasko.

On 30th May 2022, key stakeholders and policy-makers from several government statutory and corporate entities convened for three days in Suva to pilot the NAP Costing Methodology tool.

The workshop was facilitated by the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division and supported by the European Union funded Global Climate Change Plus Scaling Up Pacific Adaptation (SUPA) project.

Participants of the pilot training used the Excel-based methodology tool to enter resource and cost data that calculated a measure’s cost, compounds, or discounts to a common year, then ran sensitivity cases to test the robustness of the results.

“There are a hundred and sixty things that Fiji wants to do to try to adapt to climate change. This spreadsheet tool will allow each of the government agencies to look at the measures it is responsible for in the National Adaptation Plan, and to then do an estimate using the same methods across all these one hundred and sixty different measures to produce an estimate of how much it might cost,” said SUPA project consultant Kenneth Andrasko.

Fiji Roads Authority Financial Management Accountant Keshaw Sharma, who was a participant said that the pilot training provided key lessons on the costing of adaptation measures and the tool has made it easier for his agency to independently work out adaptation costings for large-scale infrastructure projects.

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GCCA+ SUPA Project Consultant Kenneth Andrasko speaking to the participants on day one of the training workshop.

“We have already commenced work on three jetties that needs to be replaced. The jetties include Natovi, Nabouwalu and Savusavu and consultations have already commenced. Once done, then we will work on the construction phase with an approximate figure of FJD $170 million,”

“Having this tool now, it will be easier for us to cost climate change adaptation measures ourselves,” Mr Sharma added.

A follow-up training will be held in July to an additional twenty people from the pool of government agencies and corporate entities to determine cost estimations for their different adaptation measures.

GCCA+SUPA Project Implementation Officer Swastika Raju (closest to camera) with Project Manager Gillian Cambers during the opening of the training workshop.
Diana Sausauwai of the Ministry of Education presenting during the workshop.
Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific Program Manager Mr Gabor Sasvari (right) speaking to one of the participants of the training workshop.
Water Authority of Fiji Manager Strategic Planning Manasa Tusulu speaking on the final day of the training workshop.

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