Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has called on the broader United Nations system to use their convening power to align affordable, accessible, and efficient development finance with the urgency of the climate emergency.
He made the plea during a virtual meeting with the UN assistant secretary-general, UN Development Programme (UNDP) assistant administrator and director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia-Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja this week.
During the discussion, the A-G highlighted Fiji’s response to COVID-19 and potential areas of support that UNDP could provide to enable swift and inclusive post-COVID recovery.
He mentioned Fiji’s intention to spur up public-private investments in economic diversification by creating a sustainable blue economy.
The A-G recognised UNDP’s support in helping Fiji structure and issue a multi-sectoral Blue Bond in collaboration with the United Kingdom government and underscored the need to ensure marginalised groups such as fishers and micro-marine business were assisted.
Ms Wignaraja commended Fiji’s foresight and willingness to be innovative with its COVID-19 recovery efforts and welcomed the opportunity to work on further enhancing access to justice, developing climate and disaster risk financing solutions and supporting climate adaptation and resilience efforts.
The A-G welcomed UNDP’s offer of support in these areas and added the need for assistance in enhancing data-driven socio-economic assistance to Fijians to minimise the ramifications of COVID-19 and its associated lock-downs.
Follow-up meetings would be held at a technical level between Government and UNDP to operationalise potential and expedite current areas of mutual collaboration.
