
The Kiwa Initiative, launched in March 2020, is the product of an unique commitment driven by France and the European Union gathering Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Kiwa Initiative's budget has reached more than EUR 75 million. The initiative aims to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems, economies and communities in Oceania by supporting projects that promote nature-based solutions via grants and technical assistance.
The Pacific Ocean is a world heritage that benefits from an outstanding biodiversity and cultural richness, which are inherently linked. This biodiversity provides priceless ecological services to local communities and contributes to climate change adaptation.
The Kiwa Initiative helps build both local and national capacities, promotes approaches that are sensitive to social vulnerability and gender inequality and foster dialogue amongst donors, regional organizations and countries and territories to improve development aid coordination on nature-based solutions for adapting to climate change.
Lastly, the Kiwa Initiative is one of the few regional initiative fostering the design and implementation of common solutions for island countries and the French territories in the Pacific.
The Initiative has a threefold assistance strategy:
The Kiwa Initiative serves communities in Pacific island countries and territories, including the three French overseas territories, and supports projects focusing on nature-based solutions (NBS) via three windows:
- Calls for local projects managed by the IUCN based in Fiji for very small grants (€25,000 to €50,000), small grants (€50,000 to €100,000) and medium-sized grants (€100,000 to €400,000). To be launch soon, please check back here often.
- Call for ideas for regional projects between 1.5 million and 5 million euros in grants. A regional project involves at least two countries or territories from the list of eligible countries. These projects are monitored by AFD with the support of the Kiwa Initiative Secretariat. Contact the Kiwa Initiative Secretariat
- A technical assistance program delivered by the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Donors
* This total amount is subject to the approval of the addendum to the Contribution agreement between AFD and the European Union for the EU top-up of €4M.