Samoa

This policy aims to achieve gender equality and women empowerment by 2030. It sets out the commitments of the Government of Samoa and its partners to  gender equality and provides a common framework to guide, coordinate, monitor and account for  all work and investments to realise gender equality and empower all women and girls of Samoa. The seventh priority area of the policy is the environment, and aims to increase visibility, contribution and engagement of women and girls in agriculture, climate  change, natural resources management and disaster preparedness and response, especially  those facing multiple and intersecting barriers and forms of discrimination. Specific actions promoted by this policy include the following:Ensure that a gender transformative approach is incorporated into all aspects of climate  change and natural resource managementInclude women in all climate change-related planning and consultationsEncourage women and girls, including through the use of temporary special measures, to  take courses in the fields of disaster risk management and climate change, including in climatology, fishery and water management  Strengthen collection of gender-related data on the management of marine and costal re sources, with a view to supporting gender equality, ecosystem conservation, sustainable  livelihoods and climate resilience.  

This document sets the government's vision for socioeconomic development until 2040. It notably seeks to 1) focus investments on increasing resilience to external shocks, "including natural disasters, public health emergencies, and the effects of climate change", 2) advance climate-smart technologies in farming, and 3) improve the resilience of the infrastructure to adverse effects of climate change.

<p>This document sets the government's strategy to achieve a sustainable management of the country's ocean and marine resources.</p>


<p>This document aims at enabling a resilient, safe and prosperous medium-term future for Samoa, while meeting the sustainable development goals. It provides the foundations of actions to guide coherence coordination on climate change adaptation and mitigation activities between different institutions and levels of government and supports Samoa to meet its international obligations. The policy targets primarily internal actions and encourages synergies. <br><br><br>The eight broad objectives identified for this Climate Change Policy are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Establish an effective Governance framework and support systems in place for effective response to climate change impacts.</li>
<li>Implement Adaptation measures to protect Samoa from the impacts of climate change</li>
<li>Implement Mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions including matters relating to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)</li>
<li>Implement measures to enhance sustainable climate finance</li>
<li>Effectively mainstream climate change adaptation and mitigation into national planning, implementation and monitoring processes</li>
<li>Improve data and information management on climate change for informed decision making</li>
<li>Strengthen effective Coordination and representation at the national, regional and international Level.</li>
<li>Promote and implement effective awareness, education and advocacy activities on climate change issues</li>
</ol>


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This Strategy provides an overview of the priorities the Government will pursue over the period 2016-2020. The "key outcome" 14 is dedicated to climate and disaster resilience. Climate change mitigation and adaptation constitutes a central element to a wide range of the objectives formulated in this document, from an increased production and consumption of renewable energy, and energy efficiency, to disaster risk management.

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<p>The purpose of this Act is to provide a coherent institutional and regulatory framework for the management, planning and coordination of the energy sector or energy related matters (including renewable energy). It notably charges the National Energy Coordination Committee to develop energy related policies, including policies that promote the development of renewable energy<br><br></p>


This Act makes provision for the effective and sustainable management of Samoa's forestry resources.

Art. 30.3.e) states that sustainable development in the forestry sector shall maximise benefits that may become available from the conservation of the forestry resource and the resultant financial benefits of such conservation through arrangements for trading in carbon credits and related opportunities. Art. 50.b) states that farm forests may be entiled to have the status of resource owners under arrangements implemented by the government for schemes relating to carbon credits and carbon trading in which a share of the benefits may accrue to resource owners who participate in reafforestation and the preservation of trees.

Art. 32 on climate change and carbon trading notably states that regulations made under this Act shall be taken to 1) prepare inventories of Samoa's forestry resources, and effectively mapping or recording such resources, 2) promote reforestation and planting of forestry resources so as to maximise benefits from such schemes, arrangements, systems or mechanisms, 3) enter into agreements with any party to participate in any such schemes, arrangements, systems or mechanisms, and 4) share the benefits from any such scheme, arrangement, system or mechanism.

This Act provides for a new legislative framework for regulating the electricity sector, the establishment of the post of the Electricity Regulator and the Office of the Regulator. Two of the objectives of this Act are to promote the prevailing national policies on combating climate change (art. 3.k) and to promote energy efficiency. Art. 6 states that the Regulator must support the national policy on combating climate change.

The act establishes Samoa's legal framework on disaster risk management. It provides several measures for the management of disasters and emergencies.<br><br>The main measures are 1) to establish a structure for the management of disasters and emergencies by promoting cooperation amongst agencies with a role in disaster management, 2) the implementation of a national disaster management plan, 3) to vest authority in persons and agencies to act during times of disaster and emergency, 4) to enhance the capacity of the government, relevant agencies and the community to manage the impacts of disasters and emergencies, 5) to implement mechanisms to reduce risks and hazards, 5) to facilitate procedures aimed at implementing recovery activities in the aftermath of disasters and emergencies.<br><br>

SGP-OP8 builds on 30 years of successful experience in empowering local CSOs and CBOs in community driven initiatives that have enhanced wellbeing, increased awareness and resilience, and generated global environmental benefits. With economic development pressures intensifying in the developing world and the associated rising inequalities, local communities, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged groups are becoming increasingly marginalized. The objective of Part 1 of SGP OP8 is to engage local CSOs/CBOs in landscape-seascape approaches across the 99 participating countries, providing them access to knowledge and information, capacitating them through learning-by-doing, skills development, and delivering technical and grant assistance for interventions that enhance socioeconomic conditions and generate global environmental benefits. In line with the GEF-8 SGP Implementation Arrangements Paper, core SGP resources are to be allocated equally among all eligible countries.

The proposed strategy, elaborated through four complementary outcomes, reflects the key features of GEF Small Grants Programme 2.0, including new approaches to support youth, women and Indigenous Peoples, linking up with complementary partnerships, cooperating with the two additional GEF agencies, and leveraging opportunities with other GEF programs. SGP-OP8 will facilitate opportunities for innovation and scaling up, catalyze multi-stakeholder alliances, and leverage dialogue platforms for greater impact.

An important comparative advantage of SGP is the focus on social inclusion and vulnerable groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, the elderly and youth. Expected results under OP8-Part 1 include 225,000 ha of land and ecosystems under restoration, 3,800,000 ha of landscapes under improved practices, 90,000 ha of marine protected areas under improved management, 270,000 ha of marine habitat under improved practices, and 500,000 direct beneficiaries, of whom 250,000 are women.

Helping climate proof Samoa’s capital.

Samoa’s economy and its people’s livelihoods have been heavily impacted by increasingly severe tropical storms. For instance, the total economic impact of Cyclone Evan which hit Samoa in late 2012 was estimated at 40 percent of the country’s GDP at the time. This reflected the undoing of years of economic gains in infrastructure development. Projected climate change scenarios indicate Samoa is destined to endure further severe climate impacts, including more frequent and extreme rainfall and wind events and sea level rise.

This project will enable the Government of Samoa to reduce the effect of recurrent flood-related impacts in the Vaisigano River catchment, which flows through the area of the national capital Apia. Recent extreme weather events in this region have resulted in approximately USD 200 million worth of damage during each event.

This project will strengthen adaptive capacity and reduce exposure to climate risks faced by vulnerable communities and infrastructure in the Vaisigano River catchment. This region is home to Samoa’s highest concentration of public infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and government buildings; as well as private homes and businesses.

Specifically, this project will aid the Government of Samoa enhance its capacities and information base to pursue an integrated approach to reducing vulnerability to flood-related risks; flood-proof key infrastructure in the Vaisigano River catchment; and upgrade downstream areas to increase river capacity and allow for the more rapid outflow of flood waters.

The project has an estimated lifespan of 25 years.


Helping free SIDS from their diesel dependence.

This programme covers seven Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which are some of the some of the world’s smallest, most isolated economies. They are the Cook Islands, Tonga, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Samoa. Power generation costs in these countries is among the highest because of their reliance on imported diesel, along with the high transportation costs from distributing the diesel to often highly dispersed populations.

All SIDS targeted in this programme recognize the benefits of shifting from diesel to renewable energy. This will lead to not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions but also enhanced energy security and improved balance of payments through reduced fossil fuel imports. But they also face various barriers in achieving this aim. This includes the high initial costs of installing renewable energy, the current lack of private sector investment and the pressing need for energy sector reforms.

This programme will initiate a number of paradigm-shifting moves across the seven SIDS. These include feasibility studies on how to expand renewable energy coverage, reform power utility management and encourage private sector engagement by identifying opportunities for independent power providers. Broad initiatives to move SIDS to renewable energy are being kicked off by an element within the programme to assist the Cook Islands install battery storage. This will help spur private sector investment to pave the way towards Cook Islands’ national target of 100 percent renewable energy by 2020.

The project has an estimated lifespan of 15 years.


Improved sustainable and cost-effective utilization of indigenous renewable energy resources for energy production in Samoa

Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Coastal Resources and Communities implemented by International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

<p>AOSIS Submission on Consideration of Outputs on the Global Stocktake, Submission to the Global Stocktake from Samoa, AOSIS in 2023</p>


Samoa Second NDC, Nationally Determined Contribution from Samoa in 2021

Samoa First NDC (Archived), Nationally Determined Contribution from Samoa in 2016

Samoa. National Communication (NC). NC 2., National Communication from Samoa in 2010

80% reduction of land-based pollution affecting coastal food sources by 2030 from 2020 levels.

50% reduction in emissions from air and marine pollution from ships and ports by 2030 (compared to 2020 levels)

100% renewable energy sources for electricity by 2025

3000 additional jobs in agriculture and fishing by 2040 (compared to BAU)

100% renewable energy for electricity by 2025

By 2030, air and marine pollution from ships and ports are reduced by 50% compared with 2020 levels of carbon emissions levels.

20% share of mass production from renewables by 2030

20% increase in renewable energy in energy services and supply by 2030 against a 2010 baseline

10% increase total energy consumption from renewables by 2016 against a 2012 baseline

10% increase in renewable energy in energy services and supply by 2016 against a 2012 baseline

100% renewable electricity capacity by 2017

100% climate resilient new buildings by 2020

Samoa

Documents

Targets (14)