Photo: Retrieved from rmi.org
Every year the active cohorts of CFAN advisors come together with training partners, regional counterparts, and the staff of the network’s coordinating team for a “writeshop” — a chance to go deeper on key topics, practice their pitches, meet one-on-one with experts to refine their project proposals, find synergies with their peers’ projects, and enjoy the community of practice CFAN was designed to support.
The Pacific advisor cohort was CFAN’s first. With advisors starting in early 2022, these eight islands have been the proof point for what embedded advisory support can do, and what trained and resourced professionals dedicated to unlocking finance can accomplish. Because what they’ve accomplished is a lot — US$67 million in submitted project proposals, to be precise, with a total US$364 million under development. What this money represents is varied and impactful.
In Papua New Guinea, CFAN advisor Phonesavanh Latmany had a project proposal approved by the Adaptation Fund this spring — a project that benefits 18,600 people directly and more than 87,000 indirectly through climate-resilient agricultural practice. He’s now working on a project proposal focused on nature-based solutions for building the climate resilience of coastal communities in the southern part of the country.
Meanwhile, Latmany’s colleague, Charlie Sheppard, is pitching a project to improve water security in Tuvalu, where impacts of climate change have threatened to diminish its already limited water sources.