Challenges unique to island countries and response to climate change

Japan and Pacific Island Countries (PICs) share the Pacific Ocean, a global public good, and have historically maintained close relations. Achieving the sustainable development of the Pacific region will not only help strengthen bilateral relations between Japan and PICs but also contribute to maintaining and developing a regional environment conducive to realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.

PICs are faced with common challenges and vulnerabilities unique to island countries:they are small, isolated, remote, and oceanic. In recent years, they have attracted global attention as one of the regions most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. Countries in the region have also been working on climate change mitigation. Many set ambitious targets to introduce renewable energy ahead of the rest of the world, and to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, as called for at the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in November 2021.

Promoting cooperation based on PALM9

Given these circumstances, JICA is delivering development cooperation in the following five priority areas agreed on at the Ninth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM9) in July 2021:

1. COVID-19 response and recovery
   Developing health facilities and human resources as well as offering budget support
2. Sustainable oceans based on the rule of law
   Building the capacity for maritime law enforcement and fishery resources management; extending cooperation for managing disposal of waste
3. Climate change and disaster resilience
   Promoting deployment of renewables; capacity development for disaster management agencies; delivering emergency relief supplies for Tonga, which suffered damage from the volcanic eruption and tsunami in January 2022
4. Strengthening the foundation for sustainable and resilient economic development
   Developing quality infrastructure, promoting trade and investment, increasing the resilience of public finance, and strengthening governance
5. People-to-people exchanges and human resources development
   Inviting potential future leaders to Japan for study, providing training, dispatching JICA volunteers, supporting regional exchanges

Total value of JICA programs by country

Note) Totals may not add up due to rounding. JICA’s brochure titled “Dive into the Blue Pacific” explains why Japan extends development cooperation to PICs.
It also provides a brief overview of what is going on in the region and what JICA is doing there in the priority areas set out at PALM9.