UK pledges $25.24m to Pacific Resilience Facility

The United Kingdom has pledged £10 million ($25.24 million) towards the next phase of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), reaffirming its commitment to helping Pacific communities withstand the growing impacts of climate change.

UK Government special representative for climate Rachael Kyte announced the pledge during a Pre-COP31 panel at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa yesterday.

It builds on the UK’s initial contribution of £1.3 million ($3.86 million) in 2023 to help establish the regional climate resilience financing facility.

“We have been proud to be a partner of the PRF since 2023, when we committed $3.6m to its initial establishment, helping with the difficult work of getting something on its feet and standing proud,” she said.

“We’re pleased to have pledged $10million euros to the next phase of the PRF.”

The UK will also work to encourage other countries to come on board and increase their financial commitments to the facility.

Ms Kyte said conventional financing and support systems had not delivered the results needed, making the PRF increasingly important as Pacific nations faced mounting climate threats and geopolitical tensions.

She warned that the impacts of a severe El Niño were placing further pressure on governments and vulnerable communities, particularly women.

“The pressure keeps building on the same government boundaries, the pressure keeps building on the same communities, on the backs of the same women,” she said.

The PRF, she added, offered an opportunity for the UK to demonstrate its commitment through a financing institution that was “Pacific-imagined, Pacific-owned, and Pacificrun”.

She said the UK was looking forward to supporting the facility’s grants and its ambition to attract additional financing to reach vulnerable communities.

“We commit that the UK will be a partner for the PRF in the next phase,” she said.

Climate impacts in Komave

The importance of such support was highlighted by Komave Development Committee lead Unaisi Lelewale, who described the daily challenges faced by her community as climate change affected water security and food production.

Komave Village in Nadroga Province has about 330 people living in 43 households.

“For us in Komave, climate change is not something we only hear about in meetings or read about in reports. It is part of our everyday lives,” Ms Lelewale said.

“We see it when heavy rain turns our water into mud and makes it unsafe.”

Ms Lelewale said prolonged dry seasons had also left families worried about securing enough water for drinking, cooking, washing and caring for their loved ones.

She said El Niño conditions were drying up water sources, damaging crops and forcing schools to close early.

With food security under threat, she said children, mothers and infants were among those suffering the most.

Through support from the PRF and the Government, water tanks had been installed in Komave, bringing safe water closer to households.

Ms Lelewale said the initiative had eased access to water for children, elderly residents and people living with disabilities, while helping families prepare for droughts, floods and extreme weather.

“But what touched us most was knowing that our voices have been heard. It was knowing that even a small village like Komave matters,” she said.

“When you invest in a village, you are not only investing in infrastructure. You are investing in people. You are investing in hope. You are investing in the future of our children.”

She thanked the PRF and the Government for working alongside the community.