Baku, Azerbaijan – On the margins of COP29, Prime Minister Hon. Mark Brown has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Communities Climate Adaptation Facility (C-CAF) to bring climate finance directly to Cook Islands communities, particularly in the Pa Enua. This partnership marks a milestone for the Cook Islands in securing accessible funding for local resilience against climate change impacts.
The agreement, formalised at the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, launches an initial pilot fund of NZD 500,000. The C-CAF initiative, led by the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM), aims to bridge the gap in climate finance reaching the local level, enabling communities to take control of their climate adaptation measures.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Brown emphasised the importance of this initiative, saying, “Climate change is the greatest threat to our security and livelihoods – with impacts felt in our daily lives, from droughts and cyclones to shifts in tuna migration patterns. This partnership provides much-needed support to improve our resilience and meet the challenges brought by climate change.”
The funds will be distributed through a grant application process tailored to Cook Islands’ needs. Each grant may be as high as NZD 165,000, with a minimum of three projects, or up to 30 smaller projects valued at NZD 16,500 each. This approach aims to empower communities to address their unique climate challenges effectively.
This funding comes in addition to the recently approved USD 13.4 million Green Climate Fund project supporting climate change and health in the Cook Islands. Prime Minister Brown noted, “Securing large-scale climate finance is challenging and requires considerable time, but initiatives like the Communities Climate Adaptation Facility (C-CAF) bring real, tangible support to help our communities confront the impacts of a changing climate.”
The MoU was signed on the opening day of COP29, which runs from 11–22 November 2024. The signing reflects Cook Islands’ proactive engagement in global climate resilience efforts and the nation’s commitment to supporting its communities in addressing the pressing impacts of climate change.
Cook Islands engagement with GCCM first took place in the margins of the UN General Assembly in September in New York last year. That engagement was followed by GCCM attendance to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting held in Rarotonga in November as part of the UN delegation led by President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis, Trinidad and Tobago's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
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