Pacific Island Countries Unite to Launch Regional Biodiversity Finance Programme

Image courtesy of UNDP

Pacific Harbour, Fiji – Government representatives from 15 Pacific Island Countries and Territories have convened this week at The Pearl Resort in Pacific Harbour to officially launch the GEF-8 funded Pacific Biodiversity Finance (BIOFIN) Umbrella Programme, a landmark initiative to strengthen biodiversity financing across the region.

Hosted by the Government of Fiji, the four-day Inception Workshop marks the start of coordinated regional efforts to create an enabling environment that supports the design and implementation of National Biodiversity Finance Plans tailored to Pacific contexts and priorities, strengthens resource mobilization, and embeds gender equality and inclusivity at the core of future finance strategies.

In his opening remarks, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael said:

“Biodiversity is not a luxury. It is the foundation of our economies, our food systems, our resilience, and our identity. If we fail to finance it properly, we are not just failing nature—we are failing ourselves.”

“If we do not innovate how we finance biodiversity in the Pacific at the scale, scope, and speed it deserves, we risk losing the very essence of who we are.”

Deputy Resident Representative (OIC) of the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, Abduvakkos Abdurahmanov highlighted the importance of regional ownership and local leadership:

“This is not just a workshop—it is the start of a new chapter for the Pacific. With BIOFIN, we are working together to unlock financing that reflects the true value of biodiversity. It is about bridging the gap between environmental protection and sustainable development.”