Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland

Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland says they are working on putting a climate finance advisor in all regional hubs.

Scotland says this will help countries make proper applications when trying to benefit from the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub based in Mauritius.

She adds that the Hub has around $7.8 million, which is a small amount, but they have been able to successfully disburse $327 million into the hands of their member states.

Scotland says previously it took two to three years to submit an application and another same period for approval.

She adds that they are trying to get more money from funders so that they can appoint these climate finance advisors in every country.

The Secretary General says they will work closely with the Pacific Islands Forum when appointing the advisor for the Pacific.

“So every advisor has a slightly different expertise, and they are examining every application we make to make sure that the application is the best that we can make, so it’s most likely. But we’re also working with the Sustainable Markets Initiative; we’re trying to raise money for investors so that we can really do that adaptation and mitigation. And we’re against the clock.”

Scotland says they need to speed up the processes and secure more funding, as countries in the Pacific have contributed almost nothing to this climate disaster but are suffering the most.