UNDP and CCDA build climate resilience on Manus Island

This week, UNDP and the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) of Papua New Guinea are hosting a training on climate change adaptation for provincial sector managers and district and local level government planners from Manus Province.

October 23, 2025

Group photo of participants that attended the four-day training.

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea

As an island province with a large coastal population, Manus is highly vulnerable to the increasing impacts of climate change. The four-day training, which is being held under UNDP’s and CCDA’s ‘Building Resilience to Climate Change Project’, will enhance the capacity of the participants to develop adaptation plans to these impacts and provide them with concrete measures to enhance climate resilience at the community level.

Photograph of a man in a blue patterned shirt at a podium beside a poster. — Mr. Joseph Kunda, UNDP Consultant, during his opening remarks.

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea

“Through this project, we are strengthening water security and coastal protection, not just as infrastructure goals, but as lifelines for communities on the frontlines of climate change. This training empowers local planners and leaders to turn climate challenges into actionable, locally driven solutions,” stated Mr. Joseph Kunda, UNDP Consultant, about the aims of the training.

The project, which is being implemented across 21 priority sites in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and the provinces of East New Britain, Manus, Milne Bay, and Morobe, seeks to mainstream climate resilience into development planning at the local and provincial levels. In Manus Province, the project has focused on building the climate resilience of communities from the islands of Andra, Ponam, Ahus and Bipi.

Photograph of a speaker presenting beside a UN banner in a conference room. — Mr. Jacob Ekinye, BRCC Project Director and the General Manager of the Adaptation and Project Division of CCDA, giving his opening remarks at the workshop.

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea

“Building climate resilience starts at the community level when provinces, districts, and wards take ownership of planning and integrate climate action into everyday development. The lessons from this project show us that when we empower local people and strengthen their adaptive capacity, we create lasting change that protects lives, livelihoods, and our shared future,” explained Mr. Jacob Ekinye, BRCC Project Director and the General Manager of the Adaptation and Project Division of CCDA, in his opening remarks at the workshop.

Expected outcomes from the workshop include the development of Adaptation Implementation Plans for each district and LLG in Manus, as well as the creation of risk maps, vulnerability profiles, identification of priority adaptation actions.

Mr. Penua Polon, the Overseer Provincial Administrator from the Manus Provincial Administration.

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea

“Through this workshop, we are taking a practical step to integrate climate change into our provincial and local planning processes by developing adaptation plans that align with the National Adaptation Plan and respond directly to the challenges faced by Manus communities, from coastal erosion to water insecurity,” said. Mr. Penua Polon, the Overseer Provincial Administrator from the Manus Provincial Administration.

The training was facilitated by Provincial Planners who completed a national Training of Trainers with the support of the BRCC projects earlier this year. The provincial session combined hands-on exercises, vulnerability mapping, and adaptation planning guided by data from the 4 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments the project has carried out for Manus Province.

Following the successful completion of the Manus workshop, similar training sessions will be conducted for the project’s other target provinces, East New Britain, Milne Bay, Morobe, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in the coming weeks.