The historic visit to Samoa by the Crown Prince of Norway included a stopover at the Vaisigano/Leone wall, which is part of the GEF-funded Economy-Wide adaptation to Climate Change Project, as well as the Vaisigano Catchment Project, co-funded by the Green Climate Fund and the Government of Samoa, and supported by the United Nations Development Programme.
This was one of only a few sites visited by HRH Prince Haakon Magnus during his brief visit to Samoa, his final stop in a Pacific tour which aimed at bolstering Norway’s relationship with Pacific island states.
The Kingdom of Norway is the third largest contributor to the GCF, behind Sweden and Luxembourg, with $271 million US dollars already committed to the Fund.
The Green Climate Fund is a new global fund created to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to the challenge of climate change. GCF helps developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. It seeks to promote a paradigm shift to low-emission and climate-resilient development, taking into account the needs of nations that are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts.
The VCP is Samoa’s largest climate change and disaster resilient project. Known officially as the Integrated Flood Management to Enhance Climate Resilience of the Vaisigano River Catchment Area in Samoa project, it is valued at USD$65 million, and is co-funded by the GCF, providing USD$57 million, and the Government of Samoa, contributing US$8 million.
The VCP began in July 2017, continuing on from the EWACC Project, and it is designed to strengthen the adaptive capacity and reduce the exposure to climate risks of 31 vulnerable communities and villages, infrastructure and the built environment in the VRCA.
An estimated 26,528 people will directly benefit from the VCP and 37,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries in the VRCA.
The VCP has contributed to funding the implementation of the design, supervision and construction of some infrastructural works in the VRCA to date.
