UNITED NATIONS — In a decisive boost for island resilience ahead of this year’s U.N. climate talks, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has endorsed Fiji’s Nature, People, and Climate (NPC) investment plan — a $27 million financing initiative designed to restore ecosystems and protect communities from intensifying climate shocks.
A nature-based shield for Fiji’s economy
The Climate Investment Funds board’s endorsement, announced Monday in Washington, D.C., marks a pivotal step for the Pacific island nation, where tourism contributes nearly 40% of GDP and agriculture, fisheries, and forestry employ about 40% of the population. The NPC plan adopts a “mountain-to-ocean” approach, targeting watershed rehabilitation, coastal protection, and marine conservation to strengthen both livelihoods and biodiversity.
Cyclones and floods already cost Fiji an estimated 5% of its annual GDP — a figure expected to climb as sea levels rise and weather extremes worsen. With the Climate Investment Funds’s investment, complemented by $20 million expected from the World Bank and the Progreen multi-donor partnership, more than 80,000 Fijians are set to benefit from projects across land and sea.
“Investing in nature is investing in a secure and prosperous future — especially for Fiji, where the natural environment underpins the economy,” said Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Chief Executive Tariye Gbadegesin. “Since 2008, CIF has been a committed partner to Small Island Developing States, particularly across the Pacific. Now we’re scaling up this work to help vulnerable communities in Fiji and beyond protect and manage the ecosystems that sustain them.”
Aligning with global biodiversity and adaptation goals
The Fiji plan forms part of CIF’s broader $400 million Nature, People, and Climate program, which supports low- and middle-income countries in scaling nature-based solutions for climate resilience. So far, $300 million has been committed across Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, and the Zambezi River Basin.
In Fiji, the initiative aims to directly conserve 30% of the country’s land and marine areas — aligning with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — while reinforcing national commitments under the Fiji Climate Change Act and National Adaptation Plan. A separate $4 million grant, through CIF’s Dedicated Grant Mechanism, will go directly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities to lead ecosystem restoration and adaptation efforts rooted in traditional knowledge.
National leadership for a resilient future
The Government of Fiji framed the Climate Investment Funds investment as integral to the country’s development vision.
“Fiji has a clear vision: to accelerate growth towards high-income status by 2050 and eliminate poverty. This ambition is inextricably linked to our climate resilience,” said Hon. Professor Biman Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. “We must not only protect our existing assets but also invest in smart development that counteracts climate-induced drags on long-term growth.”
Echoing this, Dr. Sivendra Michael, Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, called the plan both “an honor and a responsibility,” adding: “We invite other donors to join forces with the investment plan and help us protect livelihoods, our economy, and the natural and cultural heritage of Fiji.”
Policy and global significance
For policymakers and international partners, Fiji’s CIF-backed investment plan demonstrates how nature-based financing can serve as a cornerstone for climate adaptation in vulnerable economies. The program strengthens Fiji’s fiscal resilience, advances biodiversity targets, and integrates Indigenous-led conservation — a model that could guide other Small Island Developing States navigating similar existential climate threats.
As the world prepares for the upcoming COP summit, the Fiji plan signals a growing convergence between global climate finance mechanisms and local adaptation priorities — where restoring nature is not only environmental policy, but economic strategy.
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