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SOPAC Division Resource Economists Paula Holland and Anna-Rios Wilks support Cost Benefit Analysis training in Kiribati

Wednesday, 30 January 2013 07:18 administrator
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‘In country training is just what we need’

‘Cost benefit analysis is essential to make sure we do not waste government and donors' money,’ said Mr Terieta Mwemwenikeaki, Deputy Secretary of Office of the President, at a national workshop today.

The workshop, which is being delivered by SPC, SPREP and GIZ, is intended to guide government officers in how to do and use cost benefit analysis (CBA) in projects affected by climate change.

‘The workshop was originally requested by Fisheries to help guide which projects they should support,’ observed Mr Mwemwenikeaki. ‘However, this tool is useful to provide an evidence base to make the most of all our policies and projects.’

Mrs Kurinati Robuti from the office of National Economic Planning Office (NEPO) said, ‘NEPO is supposed to carry out a detailed CBA where necessary but often this does not happen since we have limited know-how about to undertake this.  We are grateful for this initiative.’

Marita Manley, Technical Adviser, Climate Change (GIZ) said that staff attending the workshop have been very enthusiastic. ‘The Government of Kiribati already has a national project appraisal template with a section on describing the costs and benefits of projects but it faces constraints in applying it. During the training, participants have already been discussing how to apply cost benefit analysis as a framework to help improve decision making and the quality of projects.’

Two cost-benefit analyses being planned this week include an assessment of alternative energy options on Kiritimati Island and fish aggregating device deployment.

Over the longer term, climate change is expected to lead to a decrease in coastal fisheries productivity but an increase in skipjack tuna in the waters around Kiribati. The deployment of near-shore fish aggregating devices (FADs) is recommended to increase access of local fishers to tuna and other oceanic fish, and assessments are needed in Kiribati to demonstrate that the benefits of FADs outweigh their costs. The training is supporting the Fisheries Department to establish monitoring plans to improve the evidence base to guide the deployment of FADs.

‘We need more training in-country,’ said Mr Mwemwenikeaki. ‘This kind of national workshop is just what we need’.

The workshop is being held at the Kiribati Institute of Technology and will run until Tuesday 29 January.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :                     

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 February 2013 11:27  

Newsflash

NADI, Fiji -The first Joint Meeting of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management and Pacific Climate Change Roundtable is being held 8–11 July at the Sofitel Hotel in Denarau, Nadi, Fiji.

Michael Petterson, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Applied Geoscience and Technology Division, says the joint meeting demonstrates the fact that the region is now leading on the integration of disaster risk management and climate change adaptation efforts.

‘For several years our Disaster Reduction Programme has been working in close collaboration with regional partners, such the UNDP Pacific Centre and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, to help Pacific Island countries develop joint national action plans for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation,’ he says

Petterson says joint national action plans (JNAPs) integrating climate change and disaster risk management provide countries with a powerful planning tool to help them consider disaster and risk across a range of ministries.

‘At the end of the day, if your house falls down because of a climatic or another type of disaster, you don't care initially about the cause – you just want help. Experts in climate change and disaster risk management are seeking ways to work together to make the Pacific a safer place. The JNAP offers a roadway for deciding priorities, actions and partnerships, and several [country representatives] have shared their personal satisfaction with how this tool is now supporting a whole raft of government thinking,’ he says.