Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Vanuatu opens new climate change ministry

By Ben Kedoga, NBC PNG

 
9 July 2013, Nadi, Fiji - Pacific Island countries can learn from the Vanuatu experience, in terms of mainstreaming efforts to deal with climate change hazards. Vanuatu has created a new ministry to deal with climate change to see how best to respond climate anomalies.

Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management, Thomas Laken says this is important for Vanuatu, because it is listed as among the most high risk Pacific Island Countries to natural disasters.

He says the creation of the Ministry by the new Vanuatu government was timely as they need to mainstream their efforts to address climate change and disaster risk management.

Laken is leading the development of policy and legislation to integrate climate change and disaster risk management. The Minister was part of a high level dialogue in Nadi on the vision and role of political governance in integrating disaster risk management and climate change.

He says they are proud to take the lead in the region to take the step forward in addressing their development needs.

The Minister recently tabled the country’s national energy roadmap which lays the foundation for Vanuatu to engage with partners in a more systematic way.

The Director General of the Ministry of Climate Change, Jotham Napat said they are consolidating their efforts help them to minimize expenses.

He said they had to look back on their efforts and come up with new ways of dealing with climate change and other related issues, adding that it is a signal for partners and donors that the region is ready.

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