Final consultations for Tonga’s Low-emission climate-resilient development strategy

The Department of Climate Change hosted the third and final national stakeholder consultation workshop for the development of Tonga’s Low Emission Development Strategy 2021 – 2050 (LEDS) in Nuku’alofa on the 7^th and 8^th of July 2021.

The workshop was a collaboration between the Department of Climate Change on behalf of the Government of Tonga and international partners Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), ClimateWorks Australia (CWA) and Relative Creative.

The workshop titled Window 3: Confirm Visions, Pathways and First Steps Together, focused on converging on and articulating the shared vision by unpacking the intervention action pathways from the first two consultation workshops in October 2020 and February 2021. Window 3 also involved closely reviewing the near-term steps needed to move toward the desired future for Tonga.

Mr. Paula Ma’u, CEO for MEIDECC delivering the Welcoming Remarks at the workshop

Mr. Paula Ma’u officially opened the workshop and acknowledged the participation of stakeholders from government line ministries, departments and enterprises, businesses in the private sector, non-government organizations (NGOs) and youth groups at the workshop. Mr Ma’u stated that ‘Tonga’s LEDS will not only serve as the programmatic nexus for capturing conventional and innovative sources of sustainable development and climate financing, but will also assist the Government of Tonga in implementing, monitoring, and building upon existing low-emission development projects and programmes.’

Tonga’s LEDS will outline how Tonga will pursue its social, economic and environmental agenda, while phasing out greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2050. Moreover, Tonga’s LEDS not only reaffirms Tonga’s commitments to the Paris Agreement which Tonga ratified on 21st September 2016, but it will also complement the Government of Tonga’s adaptation and mitigation efforts as articulated in Tonga’s Climate Change Policy, Tonga’s Joint National Action Plan on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (JNAP2) and Tonga’s Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement.

The development of Tonga’s LEDS is funded by the Government of New and the strategy is envisaged to be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during the 26^th Conference of its Parties in November this year.

END.

Workshop participants during one of the activities on the first day of the workshop.

Participants in the Transport Sector Group on Day 2

Participants in the Urban (Human Settlement) Sector Group on Day 2

Workshop participants on the second and last day of the workshop.