DevPac News A Quarterly Publication of the Association of the Development Financing Institutions in the Pacific October-December 2016 Volume 1 Quarter 4 V I S I O N M I S S I O N To be the premier focal point for knowledge and advocacy promoting financing of sustainable development in the Pacific Island Countries. We contribute to the sustainable development of Pacific Island Countries by advancing development finance programs and practices through knowledgesharing, training and capacity enhancement, advisory support, building partnerships and advocacy work. INSIDE STORIES: DRM APPOINTMENT Page1 ADFIP CEO Welcome Message Page 2 FDB Unveils Logo Page 3 Special points of interest: 4 KHC CEO Appointment Page GCF Briefly Regional highlight Meeting Page your point 4 of interest here. Briefly highlight your point INFORMATION of interest here. REQUEST TO ALL Briefly ADFIP highlight MEMBERS: your point : PLEASE KEEP US of INFORMED interest here. ON YOUR AC- TIVITIES NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH- ING, SPECIAL Briefly highlight PROJECTS, your point SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROVIDE of interest here. US WITH WRITE UPS, PRESS S REALEASES AND PHOTOS FOR PUBLICATION. Email: amelia.baro@adfip.net Office Contact: (679) 7753 402 2013 Annual General Meetings-Cook Islands ADFIP APPOINTS SUMEET CHANDRA NAIDU AS DONOR RELATIONS MANAGER T he ADFIP Regional Office is pleased to announce the recruitment of Mr Sumeet Chandra Naidu as the Donor Relations Manager who has officially joined the ADFIP Regional Office on 15th August, 2016. Sumeet is a Fiji national who has almost 9 years of work experience in areas of development work, particularly managing donor funded climate change and energy efficiency programs in Pacific Island Countries. Before joining ADFIP, Sumeet worked at the University of the South Pacific both as a consultant and project coordinator from 2010 to 2016. He has worked for the Fiji Department of Energy from 2008 to 2010 as project officer. Sumeet has 6 years of additional work experience in the private sector and has also worked as consultant grant fund writer for World Wide Fund for Nature Pacific Office (WWF-Pacific). Sumeet holds an MBA, Post Graduate Diploma in Business, Post Graduate Certificate in HRM and a Bachelors of Arts Degree from The University of the South Pacific. I am really happy to have joined ADFIP, and very pleased to be working with such high calibre colleagues at ADFIP Regional Office who are experts in their professional fields. We work as a team and support each other in achieving our organisational set goals and targets. Since joining ADFIP, Mr Naidu has been engaged in discussions with key donors/development partners and has developed concept note for partnership agreements with couple of donor agencies already. I have a very important task at ADFIP and I see that by having an established network of donor/ stakeholder partnership is fundamental for ADFIP. I am committed to see through that ADFIP secures donor/development partner agreements and funds so the organisation can keep advancing its climate change adaptation, mitigation, energy efficiency, women empowerment and private sector development objectives, into impactful programs and initiatives in the Pacific Region. WELCOME TO THE ADFIP FAMILY, SUMEET! FEATURES ON THE 30TH ADFIP ANNUAL MEETINGS ON PAGE 3. 2016 ADFIP ANNUAL MEETINGS RADISSON, NADI FIJI 21st 24th November, 2016
Page 2 DevPac News ADFIP CEO MESSAGE FOR THE ANNUAL MEETINGS Jean-Philippe de Jong CEO, ADFIP The theme of our annual conference this year will be 'Pacific Regionalism and Climate Change : New Opportunities for ADFIP'. We consider the choice of the theme not only to be timely but also very relevant to the present and future activities of ADFIP and its members. Dear ADFIP friends and Colleagues, On behalf of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in the Pacific, I wish to welcome you all to the 30th ADFIP Annual Meeting! Our Annual Meeting will this year be hosted by Fiji Development Bank (FDB) and will be held from 21 to 24 November 2016 in Nadi, Fiji. As you all know, in accordance with the Strategic Plan of our association, the Management Committee has decided to transform ADFIP into a stronger and more visible regional organisation. At ADFIP, we share the same vision as the Pacific Leaders: we believe that significant benefits can be gained from sharing and combining our resources with a view to leverage our voice, influence and competitiveness, and to overcome geographical and demographic disadvantages. This is the foundation for the Pacific Leaders determination for deeper regionalism and stronger regional organisations, including ADFIP. With a stronger association, we feel that we can collectively achieve more than each of our members individually, particularly when it comes to developing cooperation agreements with other regional organisations and donors. The conference will also be a unique opportunity for our members to meet with ADFIP's new Management Team and to exchange views with them on issues that are of particular concern to their own organisation. On Climate Change, ADFIP is very well positioned to play a leading role in the financing of climate change mitigation and adaptation projects that international organisations and donor countries aim to develop in the Pacific under COP 21, Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and other international agreements or protocols. While ADFIP Members have always been actively involved in sustainable agriculture, we see them becoming increasingly involved in the financing of energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean technologies and green infrastructure projects in their respective countries. With a view to increase the activities of our Members in Climate Finance, ADFIP's Management Team is actively negotiating with international organisations and donors the possibility for our association to become their main conduit in Pacific for the resources they have allocated or pledged to Climate Change in this region. Our Annual Meeting will represent a unique occasion for our Members to listen to presentations from international experts, share experiences and exchange ideas on climate change-related issues as well as elaborating ways with experts and other Members to 'green' their activities in their respective countries. The Delegate-meets-Delegate (DmD) session during the Annual Meeting will be an excellent opportunity for our Members to interact with one another and exchange views on climate finance and all other activities which they wish to improve or expand within their own organisation. All in all, this 30th ADFIP Annual Meeting hosted by Fiji Development Bank promises to be an exciting and memorable event, and I look forward to meeting you all next month in the beautiful setting of Denarau Island in Nadi. Vinaka vakalevu!
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3 2016 ADFIP ANNUAL MEETINGS RADISSON, NADI FIJI 21st 24th November, 2016 THEME: Pacific Regionalism and Climate Change: New Opportunities for ADFIP HOST: FIJI DEVELOPMENT BANK The Fiji Development Bank, host for the up-coming 2016 meeting, have unveiled the new 30th ADFIP Annual Meetings logo. According to the FDB CEO, Mr Deve Toganivalu, the logo was created mainly for two reasons: 1. to Brand the Conference with its own logo giving it its own identity and to be apart from any ADFIP conference hosted so far in the region in the last 30 years. The members will take a fonder memory of the event with each memento that they will receive with this logo embedded on it. 2. to ease putting a logo on our conference attires and merchandise as putting an ADFIP and an FDB logo on these would have difficult and expensive. The logo also represents the climate change aspect incorporated in the theme (Pacific Regionalism & Climate Change: New Opportunities for ADFIP). The ADFIP logo has been slightly changed to a more fluid plant shaped logo with leaves on the top to clearly represent our environment and the green concept. Further, the blue colour and the zero in the 30 with the blue lines running across it has captured the FDB logo to some extent. Preparations for the Annual Meetings is currently underway and the regional office together with the host are working together in ensuring a successful meeting. Speakers from overseas as well as from the region have been invited to present at the three day programme, therefore, we are anticipating delegates will attend. The Association have been in existence since 1986 therefore, the 30th Years Anniversary will be one of the highlights of the meeting. The meeting will end on Thursday after the delegates are taken on a day Cruise to one of FDB s sustainable tourism projects in the Mamanuca Islands. Vunabaka is a residential and hotel development in a private tropical island paradise. This community encompasses 120 acres of hill-top, marina, ocean, and beach front sites centered around the Six Senses Fiji, a luxury boutique hotel. Included in the community are shops, restaurants, bars, fitness centre, tennis court, spa and full service marina. Located amongst world class surf, kitesurfing, diving, fishing, and boating. The ADFIP Regional Office together with FDB would like to see you here in Nadi, Fiji for the Annual Meetings. The members are requested to confirm their attendance by 10th October, 2016.
NEW CEO APPOINTMENT AND NEW HOUSING PROJECT FOR KIRIBATI HOUSING CORPORATION Mr Momoe Kaam is the newly appointed CEO for the new Kiribati Housing Corporation (KHC). Mr Kaam replaced Mr Tomwa Tehumu (Tom Cruise as he is fondly known to ADFIP members) who has now joined the LDS Church. Mr Momoe Kaam is a MBA from the University of the South Pacific (USP). Mr Kaam has held various senior positions in the Kiribati Government and prior to joining KHC, he was the Director of Business Promotion Centre with the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Cooperative Kiribati Housing Corporation is a state owned enterprises and had 4 divisions, namely, Human Resources and Administration, Finance, Procurement and Stores, Development and Maintenance and lastly Home Loan and advice Centre. The KHC is administered and mandated by the Office of the President under the Public Service Office. TURN KEY PRODUCT Mr Tomwa Tehumu (far left) Former CEO of KHC and Mr Karebwa Toabo, Home Loan and Advice Centre Manager with Cook Islands Prime Minister in Rarotonga in 2013. Inset: Mr Momoe Kaam Photo Credit: KHC Facebook Page The Home Loan and Finance Centre of KHC introduced the new Housing Loan Product called Turn Key and it is now undergoing final approval from the Board and will be launched shortly before end of this month. Mr Toabo explained that the turn key concept is completely handled by KHC taking full responsibility until they finally handover the house key to the client. KHC handles the complete financing, from the required documents from Government bodies (building permit, lands management, council management), procuring materials, building of the dwelling and finally handing over of House key to the Client. This is done within manageable timeframe with the applicant and there are certain agreements involved for Loan and construction. CONGRATULATIONS KHC!! TONGA DEVELOPMENT BANK CELEBRATES 39TH BIRTHDAY TDB Celebrating 39 years of providing Banking Services to the people of Tonga, from 1st September 1977-1st September 2016. Congratulations TDB for achieving this milestone! Photo Credit: TDB Facebook Page
GCF Pacific Regional Meeting - Accelerating Access The second Green Climate Fund (GCF) regional meeting in the Pacific co-hosted by the Government of Australia and the GCF Secretariat was held from 1 to 4 August, 2016 at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat headquarters in Suva. The meeting brought together relevant stakeholders to galvanise action on the GCF in the region. The meeting was led by the Co-Chairs of the GCF Board, Mr. Ewen McDonald (Australia) and Mr. Zaheer Fakir (South Africa). The purpose of the workshop is help Pacific island countries in two ways: to build their internal capacity to access GCF funding; and to develop country-driven ideas and concepts into a pipeline of concrete funding proposals for GCF support. The Co-Chairs was joined by Pacific ministers, senior government officials and other invited dignitaries, including representatives of Pacific Island country National Designated Authorities (NDAs) and Focal Points, GCF Accredited Entities, delivery partners, civil society and the private sector. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat played an important role in assisting with the meeting. The GCF is already supporting Pacific Island countries to access funding and undertake low-emissions and climate-resilient development. Six Pacific Island countries have a total of USD 1.3 million in funding approved through the GCF s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme. In addition, the GCF Board has approved a total of USD 67 million in funding for projects in Tuvalu and Fiji. According to Ms. Vaine Noona-Arioka, the 15th GCF board meeting will be held in Samoa in December 2016 and a number of Pacific initiatives are in the pipeline to push for approval as well as in development for first 2017 GCF board meeting. Real momentum is underway following on from the Fiji and Tuvalu GCF approvals at last GCF board meeting. Fabian Nimea, spoke on FSMDB interventions and national development banks in general after which Ms. Arioka spoke on the Bank of Cook Islands self funded initiative of 21kw and 42kw solar arrays as private household and small business investments into renewable energy. Participants developed a Pacific GCF roadmap that identified a range of potential country and regional level proposals to be prepared for GCF consideration. The roadmap, coupled with strong partnerships and networks formed during the Pacific Regional Meeting, will help maintain the momentum for the Pacific towards realizing its ambition and maximising benefits for the region with the GCF. ADFIP is committed to advancing best fit strategies to climate financing and the association has dedicated series of seminar sessions on climate financing in its upcoming 30th ADFIP Annual Meeting November 2016. ADFIAP delegates, Vaine Noona-Arioka-(left) of Bank of Cook Islands, Fabian Nimea (right) Federated States of Micronesia, with H.E. Ali'ioaiga Feturi Alisaia, Ambassador of Samoa to the United States who is also the SIDS rep on the Green Climate Fund Board. Photo credit: Vaine Arioka