Enga Provincial Government is the first Provincial Government to sign an MOU with Climate Change Development Authority and Global Green Growth Institute on Climate Finance Initiative for Resilience and a Sustainable Transition (Climate FIRST) on Monday in Port Moresby. Climate FIRST was jointly announced by the Hon. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, and the Hon. James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, during their Annual Leaders’ Dialogue in Canberra on 8 February 2024. This partnership program aims to increase PNG’s access to large scale climate finance and investments to strengthen the climate resilience and adaptation of PNG and its people in communities, to enhance low carbon development, providing a positive impact on PNG’s overall security, stability, and prosperity. Australia has committed AUD20million (approximately PGK50million) funding for the project from March 2024 to March 2028. The funding will be explicitly used to further facilitate and mobilize a target of USD 400 million climate finance and investments that will supplement the Government of PNG’s medium-term investments on climate action. The project is implemented in partnership between the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Australian High Commission (AHC) on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia, and the Provincial Administration of seven provinces which include Eastern Highlands, Enga, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, New Ireland and Simbu. The Inception Program will be the first opportunity to bring all stakeholders together to discuss implementation arrangements at the national and provincial level. The first day Monday 03rd June is a workshop to deliberate on the objectives, expected results and risks of the project. It will also be a chance to deliberate on existing and new partnerships that will contribute to the expected outcomes of Climate FIRST. The second day, Tuesday 04th, June, will be a formal inception meeting that brings in key stakeholders to recognize, affirm and understand their roles and responsibilities in the project. The inception meeting will kick-start with a signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding agreements between CCDA, GGGI and the seven member provinces of Climate FIRST. The signing ceremony signifies the starting of the partnership and a relationship between the parties under Climate FIRST for the next four years, starting from June 2024 – March 2028. Enga Provincial Administrator Mr. Sandis Tsaka highlighted that the first component of the project has been significant both in terms of the actual impact of raising Climate Change awareness and the dual strategy of addressing climate resilient economy and actually mitigate change impact in the community. Tsaka stated that Disaster and everything happening is the impact of Climate Change therefore the partnership on the ground has been important for all to bring awareness across the government and the local people that Climate Change is real, and we all have a part to play. “Climate Change is a multi-sectoral issue and challenge that we collectively need to address.” “To mobilize resource continues to be a challenge but I am encouraged by the way our partners, GGGI and CCDA has taken the initiative to bring all partners together to address Climate change.” Tsaka added that he hopes to work together with CCDA and all the partners not only for Enga but across the country in this context of Climate Resilience and a Sustainable Transition.