Locations
Governance Towards Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Development across the Four Polynesian SIDS (GRISD)
Start Date: 02 February 2026
End Date: 31 December 2026
Status: Active / Initiation Phase
Project Office: UNDP Samoa Multi-Country Office (MCO), Apia
Brief description of Project
The four Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) face significant vulnerability due to climate change and disasters, which threaten the progress achieved in recent decades. To sustain these gains and enhance resilience, Pacific governments and development partners are increasingly integrating climate, disaster, and systemic risks into governance frameworks, emphasizing social and gender equity.
Regional initiatives, such as the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific 2017–30, and UNDP’s Multi-Country Office (MCO) programmes have promoted risk-informed development and mainstreamed adaptation and disaster risk reduction into sectoral policies. UNDP MCO Samoa has furthered these efforts by conducting diagnostic assessments and producing country profiles and policy briefs to guide risk-informed governance and identify priority actions for each PICT.
Building on this analytical foundation, UNDP MCO Samoa developed comprehensive programme documents and project concepts for the Governance for Resilient Future (G4RF) portfolio, focusing on strategic themes like local governance and youth. The initiation plan aims to support Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tokelau in enhancing governance systems for resilience and anticipatory development.
By aligning ongoing and pipeline projects with resilience objectives, the plan seeks to deepen stakeholder understanding, foster credibility with governments and development partners, and position UNDP as a leader in agile, adaptive, and foresight-driven governance. Ultimately, these efforts are designed to reinforce the integration of resilient governance into regional and national planning and catalyse momentum for localized, contextualized development approaches.
Implementing Partner
UNDP Samoa MCO (Direct Implementation Modality – DIM)
Responsible Partner(s)
Governments of Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tokelau
Donors
UNDP (TRAC 2) and UNDP Supplementary Funds
Other relevant info
The project contributes to UNSDCF 2023–2027 Outcome 4 and MCPD 2023–2027 Outcome 3 and is classified as GEN2. It forms part of the broader G4RF portfolio and places emphasis on foresight, risk-informed governance, and inclusive approaches. Key activities include a regional policy dialogue, stakeholder consultations, targeted capacity building, catalytic institutional support (including the 2026 Pacific Ministers of Youth Meeting), and development of a centralized digital platform in partnership with MWCSD. Implementation follows DIM, with quarterly monitoring by UNDP.
Impact
Improved governance systems that are more inclusive, risk-informed, and responsive to emerging challenges, with strengthened institutional capacity, better-informed decision-making, and enhanced community resilience, including through improved access to data and services.
