Financing agreements totalling €9 million to go towards investments in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) were signed by the European Commission and two small Pacific island states - the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia - on Saturday 11 November, on the fringes of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting in the Cook Islands.
These funds from the EU’s ‘Global Gateway’ investment strategy will help small island states vulnerable to climate change and “contribute to improving the lives of local people”, underlined the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, in a press release, with the main aim of “fostering the climate resilience of communities and ensuring safe and healthy living conditions for all”.
The €6 million agreement, signed with the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, will help local populations to improve rainwater collection and storage structures, contribute to pollution prevention and strengthen the technical capacities of national and sub-national institutions and key stakeholders, according to the Commission.
The €3 million agreement signed with the Micronesian authorities will fund targeted technical assistance to the government to help it develop policies, institutional reforms and regulatory changes. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)