1 August 2018: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP) has launched a new website that highlights adaptation strategies to manage the risks of coastal hazards, as well as capacity-building efforts of national and sub-national governments and local communities so they can adapt to climate change over the long term.

TCAP is helping the Government of Tuvalu to better manage the risks of coastal hazards by: implementing measures that reduce the impacts of climate-induced sea level rise and intensifying storm events on infrastructure; developing a long-term coastal adaptation strategy; building the capacity of national and local authorities to better implement adaptation actions; and investing in youth. Specifically, the project focuses on: strengthening institutions, human resources, awareness and knowledge for resilient coastal management; reducing the vulnerability of critical coastal infrastructure to wave-induced damages, including homes, schools and hospitals; and establishing a sustainable financing mechanism for long-term adaptation efforts.

The project focuses on three of Tuvalu’s nine inhabited islands, which have 2,780 meters of high-value vulnerable coastline.

TCAP builds on existing initiatives, and uses a range of measures for coastal protection, such as ecosystem initiatives, beach nourishment, concrete and rock revetments, and sea walls. The project focuses on three of Tuvalu’s nine inhabited islands, Nanumea, Nanumaga and Funafuti, which have 2,780 meters of high-value vulnerable coastline. TCAP is financed with US$36 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and US$2.9 million from the Government of Tuvalu.

Launched in August 2017, TCAP will be implemented by UNDP, in partnership with the Government of Tuvalu, over 7 years until 2024. It will help achieve, in particular, SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and SDG 13 (climate action). [TCAP Website] [UNDP Website for TCAP] [Launch Announcement on Twitter]