Riya Bhagwan 
[Photo: SUPPLIED]
Fiji loses approximately $500 million annually due to floods and cyclones that continue to threaten lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
This represents about five percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), highlighting the significant economic burden of climate-related disasters.
Flooding and cyclones also account for nearly 80 percent of all annual disasters in the country, underscoring the scale and frequency of these events.
However, these adverse impacts are expected to soon ease, as the Fiji Climate Adaptation Program (FCAP) has officially been launched today.
The FCAP, supported by Australia, will see an investment of $35 million between 2026 and 2029 to help reduce flood risks and strengthen climate resilience across the country.
The program will focus on improving early warning systems, strengthening governance, and enhancing planning frameworks to better manage water resources and disaster risks.
It will also support the development of community-level flood risk plans and provide technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
At the grassroots level, FCAP will fund practical climate resilience projects in priority areas, including nature-based solutions, climate-smart agriculture, and ecosystem conservation.
The initiative will initially target the Nadi River catchment, one of the country’s most flood-prone areas, before expanding to other high-risk regions.
The program is being implemented through the Fiji Program Support Platform and is led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry, in collaboration with other government agencies and civil society organisations.
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