Solomon Islander Dr Michael Ha’apio promotes climate finance access for small island states at Pre-COP31 in Fiji.
A Solomon Islander, Dr Michael Oto’ara Ha’apio, will be promoting the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH) at the Pre-COP31 in Nadi, Fiji.
The CCFAH is an initiative created by the Commonwealth in 2015 to help small and vulnerable states unlock international climate finance.
It targets Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to help them overcome capacity gaps in accessing and bidding for climate funds.
Dr Ha’apio, who worked as the Commonwealth Climate Finance Adviser to the Government of Kiribati in 2025, said he is in Nadi to present on climate finance access and how small island countries can enable their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to move beyond plans and be converted into investments.
He stepped in for his Director-General to represent the Commonwealth.
“Those are the measures that we want to preach and the message that we want to tell the world: convert those commitments into capital, so we can integrate them into our systems of resilience.
“This is the presentation I will be involved in, and also the measures I want to put across so that when our governments negotiate, the Commonwealth is part of the process also to help small island developing countries to realise their needs to be resilient in their countries throughout the Pacific and SIDS,” he said.
Furthermore, Dr Ha’apio praised Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale for attending the Pre-COP31 in Nadi.
“This is the first Prime Minister to attend this kind of meeting.
“The tone that he sets is very encouraging, that while we need to access funds, we must also engage at the highest levels.
“That commitment itself speaks volumes, and translating those into funds and commitment or money, we like it now,” he said.
Dr Ha’apio said preparatory work is being done to create a platform for accessing funding, including for Solomon Islands, so the country can access these funds.
Currently, Solomon Islands has benefited from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
“But we need more funding. We don’t need funding that is very high or hard to access.
“Because it makes it more accessible for us, not take five years before proposals are approved, but take one or two years before we implement in communities,” he added.
