BY NED GAGAHE
The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and its Pacific counterparts jointly call for urgent and coordinated regional action to strengthen climate change adaptation efforts across the Pacific.
This follows the completion of a major climate change adaptation audit carried out by the Solomon Islands Office of the Auditor General into national efforts led by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM).
The audit, conducted over an 18-month period, highlights the urgent need for effective planning and response to help protect vulnerable coastal communities from the devastating impacts of sea level rise and coastal erosion.
In a statement the initiative is part of a global cooperative audit project known as the Climate Change Adaptation Actions (CCAA) audit, undertaken by more than 50 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) worldwide, including nine Pacific Island countries.
The project is coordinated by two global audit bodies, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA), with technical support from the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI).
Under the regional initiative, Pacific Island countries selected one of three focus areas: managing water resources, implementing adaptation plans, or adapting to sea level rise and coastal erosion.
The Solomon Islands audit concentrated on actions taken to adapt to sea level rise and coastal erosion, focusing on the Solomon Islands Climate Change Adaptation Program (SICAP) under MECDM, covering activities between 2018 and 2023.
Findings from the nine Pacific Island audits have been compiled in a new regional report titled “Adapting to Climate Change: Building the Pacific’s Future,” released this month.
The report urges Pacific governments to act immediately to:
- secure available financing and technical expertise,
- better plan and target adaptation measures where they are most needed,
- implement measures more effectively through coordinated and inclusive action, and
- ensure accountability through proper monitoring and reporting of outcomes.
- Solomon Islands findings
The OAG report found that while national adaptation activities have been limited in effectiveness, there have been notable achievements, including:
- the update of the Solomon Islands National Climate Change Policy (2023)
- improved water catchments
- greening initiatives in schools
- upgraded communication facilities for isolated communities.
However, the audit emphasized that stronger collaboration is needed in key areas such as community vulnerability assessments, meeting donor and funding requirements, and developing resettlement strategies for affected communities.
In Honiara last week, Auditor-General David Dennis and his team met with Minister Polycarp Paea and ministry executives to brief them on both the national and regional audit findings.
Mr. Dennis underscored the urgent need for the Solomon Islands Government to invest more in climate change adaptation, stressing that the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the country.
“The effects of climate change are real and literally at our doorsteps.
“We need to take proactive measures that give priority to areas vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Solomon Islands needs more urgent, planned and sustained action to protect communities at risk,” Mr. Dennis said.
He said the Solomon Islands audit findings contribute to a broader regional effort to identify lessons, solutions and recommendations to help safeguard lives, infrastructure, and the environment.
“We are proud to contribute to this report, which highlights practical recommendations for government agencies, donors and communities to take urgent and effective climate action,” he added.
In response, Minister Polycarp Paea and his senior officials welcomed the audit report, describing it as timely and important for improving national climate resilience.
The Minister assures that the audit recommendations will be incorporated into the Ministry’s future strategic plans to strengthen adaptation efforts across the country.
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