May 2025
Summary Statement
Fiji recently made structural changes in government to establish a new ministry to ramp-up delivery of its climate change priorities through stronger leadership, improved cross-government coordination and increased access to climate finance. This is being enabled by structured and sustained technical support through the Climate Finance Capacity Support Programme (CFCSP) with 3 embedded roles – a Special Adviser for Climate Action, a Climate Adaptation Officer and a Climate Mitigation Officer – positioned within the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC).
Each role addresses a specific area of need: the Special Adviser for Climate Action supports high-level discussions and inter-ministerial coordination; the Adaptation Officer leads community engagement and project proposal development; and the Mitigation Officer advances Fiji’s emissions reduction strategies, including data systems and permitting frameworks, and project proposal development. Collectively, they contribute to: a better-resourced and coordinated Programme Development Unit (PDU); expanding Fiji’s pipeline of bankable climate finance projects; facilitating consultations with key stakeholders; improving compliance with national and international climate commitments; and embedding new systems and practices across government.
Context and Challenge
Fiji has made good progress in climate governance, including the passage of the Climate Change Act (2021) and the establishment of the MECC in 2024. These reforms provide a clear legal and institutional framework for climate action, but the complexity of implementing legislation, coordinating across ministries and accessing climate finance requires specialised technical capacity that is often under-resourced (or lacking) within government systems.
The MECC faces pressure to coordinate across multiple government departments and external stakeholders, deliver adaptation and mitigation projects at scale, meet international reporting obligations and respond to increasing climate risks. Gaps in expertise and systems have limited its ability to drive whole-of-government delivery of its climate change priorities, and to fully mobilise and manage climate finance and implement projects. Recognising these capacity constraints, MECC worked with the CFCSP to co-design a set of embedded roles to directly address the gaps. The goal was to move beyond ad hoc technical support to a more sustained model that builds both delivery momentum and institutional competency and enhances the reputation of the MECC.
Intervention
The CFCSP worked with the MECC to co-design and operationalise a multi-role technical assistance model embedded within the MECC Executive Office and the Department of Climate Change PDU. This model includes 3 full-time personnel:
The Special Adviser for Climate Action provides high-level legislative and policy advice to support the operationalisation of the Climate Change Act, strengthen coordination mechanisms across government and advise on Fiji’s regional and international engagement.
The Climate Adaptation Officer leads on adaptation project proposal development, vulnerability assessments and community engagement, helping to build a pipeline of adaptation projects aligned with national and local priorities.
The Climate Mitigation Officer leads work on greenhouse gas data systems, project proposal design for emissions reductions, and readiness planning for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems.
These roles within MECC are helping Fiji meet its internal target of submitting at least 2 high-quality, risk-informed and gender-responsive climate finance proposals each month. These proposals are aligned with key national strategies, including the Climate Change Act, National Adaptation Plan, and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementation Roadmap, and aim to attract funding from mechanisms such as the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund.
Alongside this, the 2 officers actively contribute to whole-of-government coordination through platforms like the National Climate Change Coordination Committee and technical working groups. This ensures proposals are aligned with sector mandates and national development goals and increases awareness across departments of what actions are being progressed.
At the national level, the Special Adviser for Climate Action is updating key delivery strategies to guide implementation of NDC and National Adaptation Plan priorities, improving monitoring and coordination tools and implementation approaches to ensure coherent and coordinated whole-of-government climate action.
At the international level, the Special Adviser for Climate Action is supporting MECC’s strategic engagement in regional and global forums. This includes preparing technical inputs for climate negotiations, supporting Fiji’s representation in multilateral processes, and aligning domestic priorities with international climate finance and policy opportunities.
Together, these embedded roles enhance both the quality and impact of Fiji’s climate action across national and global levels.
Early Results
The embedded roles have delivered early signs of progress across 5 core areas:
Policy and Legislative Advice and Coordination
The Special Adviser for Climate Action supported revisions to the national climate finance strategy – now endorsed by Cabinet – and provided guidance on implementing the Climate Change Act. Planning trackers and internal coordination tools have been introduced within MECC, improving policy coherence and communication across units. Furthermore, the Adviser led national and regional representation at international climate finance forums.
Pipeline Development and Localised Delivery
The Adaptation Officer has helped prepare over 5 concept notes, including a US$10 million Adaptation Fund proposal for the Rewa Delta and solarisation projects in Vuci Village. These proposals are grounded in risk assessments, community consultations and gender-inclusive design, with integrated marine, livelihood and infrastructure adaptation components.
Mitigation Planning and Systems Strengthening
The Mitigation Officer has contributed to new permitting protocols, project screening standard operating procedures, and the development of a Sector Integrity and National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Group (SINGG) proposal to improve fluorinated gases data systems. These efforts lay the foundation for further MRV system development and emissions tracking aligned with Fiji’s NDC commitments.
Cross-Ministerial and Community Coordination
All climate project proposals are now subject to joint review processes involving line ministries such as finance, health and energy. Embedded personnel actively engage in national coordination platforms such as the sector focal points committee meetings, contributing to improved coherence across Fiji’s climate response system.
Internal Capacity Building
Within the PDU, embedded staff contribute to MECC’s monthly proposal targets while also mentoring national officers and helping to integrate climate finance systems into day-to-day operations. This internal knowledge transfer strengthens MECC’s long-term technical capacity and institutional memory.
Why this Matters
The embedded roles are a practical demonstration of why this matters for Fiji — showing how sustained, in-line technical assistance can directly strengthen the country’s capacity to deliver on its climate commitments. Their contributions cut across 4 critical areas:
- Reducing delivery risk: By supporting legislative interpretation, proposal design and risk-informed planning, the roles are helping to reduce implementation barriers. Projects are better scoped, grounded in local context and positioned for smoother execution – reducing the chance of delay or failure.
- Improving systems: The introduction of SOPs, GIS risk mapping, logframes and project tracking tools has strengthened MECC’s internal processes. These tools not only support current projects but can also be used to strengthen the evidence base and quality standards for future pipeline development.
- Strengthening coordination: Through participation in inter-agency working groups, cross-ministry proposal reviews and platforms like the National Climate Change Coordination Committee (NCCCC), the embedded personnel are fostering whole-of-government collaboration. This is improving alignment and coherence between national, sectoral and community-level climate priorities.
- Building capacity: The roles go beyond technical delivery. Officers provide ongoing mentoring, contribute to skills development and embed knowledge within MECC and other partner agencies. This enhances the long-term capability of the Fijian public service to lead climate action independently.
The CFCSP’s approach (inclusive of co-designing roles with government, embedding experts in critical institutions and staying actively engaged through regular feedback) ensures that support remains demand-driven, accountable and responsive to evolving governance needs.
Partner Perspectives: Six-Monthly Review (October 2024)
At the October 2024 review, MECC stakeholders expressed strong support for the CFCSP model. Ravneeth Dewan, Principal Climate Change Officer – Finance and CFCSP focal point, described the programme as “the best programme that MFAT has done,” citing its responsiveness, technical strength and alignment with Fiji’s priorities.
Fiji government partners appreciated the added value of the embedded roles, particularly the engineering expertise brought by the Adaptation Officer, which supported proposal quality and technical assessments. However, they also acknowledged persistent challenges, such as limited capacity in the Ministry of Transport and Department of Energy, that slowed the mobilisation of additional roles.
What’s Next
Looking ahead, the 3 embedded roles will continue to play a central role in supporting MECC to deliver its climate priorities. Key upcoming activities include:
- Finalising and submitting the Yasawa and Rewa Delta proposals to international climate finance mechanisms.
- Supporting implementation and compliance planning for the Climate Change Act, including development of permitting frameworks.
- Launching training modules tailored to Fiji’s context for MRV systems and permitting processes, in collaboration with SPREP and PCCC.
- Assisting with COP30 preparations, including support across Fiji’s adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage positions.
Expanding the Pipeline: What’s Ahead for Fiji
The CFCSP will continue to evolve its support to meet Fiji’s emerging priorities. Several new roles and focus areas are being designed, including:
A MECC Website Developer will lead the development of a new digital interface to make it easier for the public to access information about climate change in Fiji and engage with permitting processes with MECC staff closely involved.
A Public Sector Trainer will design and deliver online training modules for Fiji public servants to build government-wide institutional knowledge of Fiji’s climate change priorities, legislation and approaches.
In the transport sector, a Decarbonisation Consultant and 2 Governance Advisers will support the development of a national transport sector decarbonisation strategy and the land and maritime transport master plan, targeted for completion by the end of 2025 (pending adjustments based on departmental capacity and feedback).
While progress on the Health National Adaptation Plan Implementation Design Adviser has stalled, this will be progressed if it can be completed in 2025.
These roles will complement existing efforts and strengthen sectoral pathways for climate mitigation, adaptation, and institutional reform, reflecting Fiji’s commitment to whole-of-government climate governance and demonstrating how embedded, adaptive technical support is helping to unlock and deliver on national climate priorities.