Climate change and disaster impacts

Australia is committed to working in partnership with the Government of Fiji to meet the needs and aspirations of its people to build resilience to climate change and disaster events.

Fiji is highly vulnerable to climate and disaster impacts, particularly cyclones, storm surges, flooding and drought. These climate-related hazards are projected to intensify over time.

• Fiji and the region will experience more intense cyclones like Tropical Cyclone Winston (2016), Gita (2018), Harold (2020), Yasa (2020) and Ana (2021), which caused extensive costly damage. Australia has helped Fiji prepare for future cyclones, including by ensuring school buildings and markets are more resilient.
• As climate change escalates, impacts could compromise the country’s food security and water security. Australia is supporting Fijian farmers to better understand the risks and take action to ensure that their crops thrive in a changing climate.
• A 2018 Climate Vulnerability Assessment led by the Government of Fiji with support of the World Bank, indicated that Fiji suffers average asset losses of around FJD500 million (approximately USD225 million), or five percent of GDP each year due to floods and tropical cyclones. Australia is helping increase community resilience by building capacity in civil society and government organisations to prepare for and reduce the risks of disasters.
• Climate change disproportionately impacts those already experiencing exclusion and marginalisation, including women and girls, people with disabilities, and people living in poverty. Australia is committed to supporting Gender-responsive and socially inclusive approaches to climate and disaster risk resilience resulting in better program outcomes.

Bilateral programs

Australia integrates climate and disaster resilience through its bilateral development assistance to Fiji across all areas of programming including in the infrastructure, education, private sector development, governance and community sectors.

• Fiji communities are learning to become more climate resilient through their teachers and students with the introduction of climate change and disaster risk content into primary school curriculum. The Fijian Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts (MEHA) with support from Australia’s Fiji Education Program ($37.5 million, 2017 - 2024) is working towards Fiji’s priority under the Climate Change Act 2021 to integrate evidence-based learning about climate change into the Fiji National Curriculum Framework.
• Australia established the Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) ($1.7 million 2022-23) to support locally led disaster preparedness and response in Fiji. The EPR allows Australia to quickly disburse funds to the Fiji Government and Civil Society Organisations in the event of a natural disaster. It also supports long term preparedness activities.
• Australia is supporting the Government of Fiji to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. This includes promoting a shift to low emissions development and innovative solutions to activities under the NDC Implementation Roadmap and Investment Plan through the Fiji-Australia Climate Change Support Program ($1 million, 2022-24) with the Ministry of Economy’s Climate Change and International Cooperation Division.
• Australia is supporting the Cyclone Yasa recovery ($28.5 million, 2021-24) with a focus on rehabilitating damaged or destroyed school infrastructure for up to nine schools and two hospitals.
• Recognising the severe impact of COVID-19 on Fiji's economy, Australia is continuing to provide general budget support ($55 million 2022-23) to Fiji, with one of the key objectives being to enhance climate, disaster and social resilience by supporting the implementation of Fiji’s Climate Change Act, and supporting improvement in the quality of building materials to better withstand cyclonic winds through a revision of the relevant standard.

Regional and global programs

A range of regional and globally funded climate change investments are working directly to build climate change and disaster resilience in Fiji and across the region, including:

• The Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific Phase 3 (COSPPac3)(Australian contribution $30 million, 2023-29) supports the Fiji National Meteorological Service to provide climate and ocean monitoring and prediction services. Climate predictions help farmers plan for planting and harvesting, and Pacific island countries to prepare for disasters like droughts and tropical cyclones. Ocean predictions (tide, currents, wind and waves) support fishing, tourism and shipping.
• The Governance for Resilient Development in the Pacific (Gov4Res) Project (Australian contribution $7.9 million, 2019-2023) supports national and local governments and communities, as well as regional organisations, to strengthen decision-making processes and governance systems towards risk informed and resilient development. In Fiji, this has included embedding staff specialised in risk-informed development into the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development resulting in risk informed development outcomes such as resilient roads and small-scale infrastructure.
• Through the Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Program (PICAP), (Australian contribution $9.5 million, 2020-2025) implemented by United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the Fijian Government is protecting some of its most vulnerable communities against intensifying climate risk through the development of Fiji and the Pacific’s first-ever affordable, market-based, parametric micro-insurance product targeted at small holder farmers, fishers and market stallholders.
• The Regional Pacific NDC Hub ($2 million over 2 Phases, 2018-2023) aims to support Pacific island countries and territories in reviewing, enhancing and implementing their climate commitments, to promote transition to a low-carbon development pathway in the Pacific. The NDC Hub has supported the Government of Fiji to align their Forest Bill with the Climate Change Act, as well as supported the development of an NDC Investment Plan with a project pipeline which includes 20 primary mitigation strategies, and development of the Measuring, Reporting and Verification systems (MRV) in the transport sector. The NDC Hub are also supporting Fiji with implementation work for the Climate Change Act and development and compliance readiness for Fiji’s ‘climate risk disclosure’ legislative framework and requirements.
• Pacific Women Lead includes several initiatives to support women’s leadership in climate action and disaster resilience through women’s rights, safety and economic empowerment.
  • UN Women Resilience to Disasters Program ($13.5 million, 2021-2026), supports women and girls to increase their adaptive capacity and build resilience in the face of a myriad disasters and threats.
  • Women’s Environment and Development Organisation ($1 million 2022 – 2024) advances Pacific women’s leadership in climate change decision-making and enhances gender-responsive climate policy through strengthening the capacity of National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points in the Pacific.
  • Shifting the Power Coalition ($2.1 million 2018 – 2022) works to ensure diverse Pacific women’s voices are included in disaster planning and response at all levels with tangible outcomes around diverse women leaders in six countries.
• In partnership with the Pacific Horticultural & Agricultural Market Access program (PHAMA Plus) ($53.3 million, 2018-2026), Australia is supporting the development of climate resilient farming practices for root crops farmers in Fiji (e.g. water conservation, resilient varieties) with research, demonstration farms and training.
• The Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) Disaster READY Program ($100 million, 2017-2027) is supporting communities, local civil society actors and national and sub-national government to be better prepared for and more resilient to disasters and climate change.
• The Australia Assists program ($94.7 million globally, 2017-2024) supports the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in their Disaster Risk Reduction and Management programs, through technical specialists working in DRR and communications. Specialists are also supporting the National Disaster Management Office to establish a National Emergency Response Team.
• Markets for Change program ($6.3 million 2022 – 2026) supports physical market structures and operating systems to make markets more gender-responsive, safer, more accessible, sustainable and resilient to disaster risks and climate change, including through the use of renewable energy sources. Markets for Change enabled Rakiraki markets in Fiji to be built to Category 5 cyclone wind speeds, which was instrumental in the market’s survival through Cyclone Harold in 2020.
• The Australian Red Cross-DFAT Humanitarian Partnership ($50 million, 2019-2024) supports the National Red Cross Society, enabling local communities to be better prepared for, respond to and recover from climate hazards and disasters. The National Society is trusted by national government partners and local communities to provide local leadership in disaster preparedness and response.