Climate Information Services for Resilient Development Planning in Vanuatu (Van-CIS-RDP)

Using science to better prepare Vanuatu’s policy makers and public for a changing climate.

Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate impacts, including climate-related natural disasters and the effects of slow-onset events such as sea-level rise and ocean acidification. While Vanuatu’s geographic location leaves it highly exposed to cyclones, more than 90 percent of its infrastructure, measured in economic terms, is located 500m from the coastline.

The Government of Vanuatu has identified the need to be able to undertake systematic efforts to inform and prepare its public to manage expected climate changes.

This project will help address this need by achieving a paradigm shift to standardize the use of science-based climate information. This is seen as a necessary base to underpin awareness raising and long-term policy planning around climate change.

This project will expand the use of Climate Information Services (CIS) in five targeted sectors: tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, water management and fisheries. Specific project goals include building technical capacity to harness and manage climate data, developing practical CIS tools, fostering their use and disseminating tailored climate information.

GCF funding will contribute to greater understanding of climate patterns across time to ensure adaptation planning and policy implementation is informed by the right data.

The project has an estimated lifespan of 4 years.