Organizer

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Event Overview

Mainstreaming adaptation by every stakeholder is important challenge to respond to climate change impacts and achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement. Initiatives and activities by non-state actors especially the private sector have been rapidly increasing, so as the needs of capacity development for this stakeholder. With their important roles in the climate adaptation actions, the capacity building opportunities are expected to be tailored and aligned with their needs to enhance engagement of private sector and public-private partnership.

To respond to the growing needs of the private sector, this side event will explore good practice, challenges and opportunities of capacity building initiatives for private sector.

Speaker

• Mr. Hiromichi Murakami, Global Environment Department, JICA, Senior Deputy Director General
• Mr. Wayne King, Climate Change Cook Islands, Director
• Ms. Anne Rasmussen, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, The Independent State of Samoa, Assistant CEO, Climate Change
• Ms. Tagaloa Cooper-Halo, The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Director, Climate Change Resilience
• Ms. Teea Tira, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Climate Resilience Secretariat Coordinator
• Mr. Makoto Kato, Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC), Member, Board of Directors
• Ms. Wakana Eriguchi, Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC), Researcher
• Ms. Masako Ogawa, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Expert

Event Summary

After the welcome remarks by Mr. Murakami and the introduction of the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) and the JICA’s capacity building project at the PCCC by Ms. Ogawa, the panelists discussed the importance of the private sector to enhance climate resilience.

The Pacific region already set up an integrated approach to address climate change and disaster risk management called "Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific 2017 - 2030" (FRDP) including the key roles of the private sector. The region also has the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) to support the implementation and monitoring FRDP. Under the framework, the regional organizations and countries are working on to support the private sectors. One example is the mapping exercise to elaborate the role of the private sector in the national level, and find the way to promote the engagement from governments. However, in general, the size of the private sector in the Pacific is "micro" rather than small or medium and, thus, they have difficulties in access to finance including Green Climate Fund (GCF). Therefore, the partnership with other stakeholders and donors are crucial to support the private sector in the pacific. The panelists presented ideas to strengthen the private sector’s engagement, such as regional financing scheme especially for the private sector.

As for the training, the PCCC has a function of "capacity building through training and learning" and through the JICA’s capacity building project, it will deliver training courses on adaptation, access to climate finance and mitigation which are open not only to governments but also the non-state actors. As the nomination shall be through the governments, each government is expected to consider the private sector participation of to maximize the benefit of the trainings.