Govt unable to locate climate plan consultation records

Records of public consultations that helped shape Fiji's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) between 2017 and 2018 cannot currently be located, according to the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Sivendra Michael.

Mr Michael said yesterday that the records had been filed on an old server but could not now be found. He attributed the problem to high staff turnover and restructuring within the ministry.

“The Government team changed almost entirely between 2022 and 2023,” he said.

Mr Michael said the staffing changes, combined with restructuring, meant some stakeholder feedback gathered during the development of the NAP was now unaccounted for.

The admission follows a Standing Committee on Public Accounts report tabled in Parliament this month, which flagged insufficient documentation demonstrating stakeholder acceptance of the NAP.

Mr Michael said evidence that had been retained, including Government memos and meeting records, was provided to auditors. The NAP was launched in November 2018.

Mr Michael said on-the-ground implementation was expected to begin in 2019 but was disrupted when Government attention shifted to the COVID-19 response.

Recovery efforts following Tropical Cyclones Yasa and Ana also took priority, he said.

Most coordination meetings during that period were held online because of lockdowns.

Mr Michael said the Department of Climate Change remained responsible for policy guidance, while implementation rested with the sectors responsible for carrying out the plan's 160 prioritised targets.

He said Fiji was now revising the NAP into more “concrete, trackable actions”. A national adaptation registry was also being developed.

The registry would allow organisations to voluntarily report their climate adaptation activities and associated costs.

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