UK announces £12.9m of new climate funding for Pacific Islands

The UK has pledged £12.9 million in new funding to support Pacific-led climate initiatives, UK Indo-Pacific Secretary Catherine West will announce at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Tonga this week. The news marks West’s first overseas trip since taking office, and signals a renewed focus on global climate action.

Minister West arrives in New Zealand on Sunday 25 August to discuss climate, defence and trade. She will highlight the importance of helping vulnerable Pacific communities cope with the impacts of climate change in her speech at the Pacific Islands Forum in Nuku’alofa.

“The government is looking to reconnect the UK with partners around the world and return to the forefront of international climate action,” West said ahead of the conference. “The climate crisis requires long-term global action – but we must also take swift steps to support countries on the front line, like our partners in the Pacific.”

The funding package includes:

• £1.3 million Providing technical support for the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Fund, a regionally managed fund to provide long-term climate finance.
• £5 million The UK’s Transforming Energy Access (TEA) Pacific programme, which supports clean, affordable energy solutions such as solar and hydrogen microgrid systems in Papua New Guinea.
• £2 million Seek technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund to develop financial and climate policies.
• £3 million The Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) focuses on environmental protection.
• £1.6 million Digital Earth Pacific project, using satellite data to monitor environmental changes.

In addition to climate action, Minister West will discuss strengthening defence and economic ties with Pacific Islands Forum members, including police training and trade partnerships. She will also highlight the role of sport in tackling gender inequality by providing UK-funded rugby equipment to a local women’s rugby team in Tonga.

The UK’s wider climate strategy includes a £4 million contribution to the World Bank’s Accelerating Sustainable Energy Transformation (ASET) programme, and a £1 million contribution to support the Pacific Community’s Energy Security Framework.

The funding is in line with Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s commitment to reconnect the UK with global partners and drive coordinated climate action, strengthening the UK’s role in tackling the climate emergency.