Green climate fund officials to arrive next week

Acting MD CCDA Ruel Yamuna.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, November 27, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

FOLLOWING the ratification of the Paris Agreement, and the signing granting immunity to the Green Climate Fund officials- the first of its kind workshop dialogue will take place next week in Port Moresby between the Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA), the fund, and stakeholders.

The workshop will give direct insight into processes and requirements needed by the global climate fund for Papua New Guinea to now have access to the billion dollar fund that assists developing countries to adapt and mitigate the effects of the climate change phenomena.

Acting Managing Director for CCDA, Ruel Yamuna, confirmed the meet to take place as the highlight of the year in the work and role of the authority, saying the access to climate finance as vital to fulfilling the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.

“We have brought on board holding a workshop next week so basically giving an overview of the role of Green Climate Fund working with the Climate Change Development Authority as the designated national authority and our different stakeholders and different implementing partners can access that funding,” Mr Yamuna said.

“We see that as a strategic way forward to help us fulfill our obligation under the Paris Agreement.”

“For us this will be the highlight of the year, and most of the questions that we have been faced with in other meetings during the course of the year has been finance, and how do we access finance and the role of CCDA when it comes to accessing climate finance.”

He confessed the issue of accessing funding through Green Climate Fund as a struggle for the organisation due to the role of the global fund, and the need for it to simplify its processes.

“And that is basically pretension (pretense) behind the article line of the Paris Agreement- the need to simplify the processes and modalities and procedures so that developing countries and small island countries like PNG can have access to climate finance.”

“For the first time can have an understanding and appreciation of how the different templates can be used, the different criteria they need to comply with to access.”

“So with that it is really something that we are really looking forward to capitalise much of the work that we are doing.”

Yamuna also maintained that as the mandated body dealing with climate change issues, all dealing through and with vital partners like the Green Climate Fund would be done through the authority through its governing act, the Climate Change Management Act.