Fiji has formally launched the Climate Catalytic Fund (CCF), a rapid financing mechanism aimed at supporting community-led responses to climate-driven displacement, with a pilot programme also under way in Vanuatu. Funded by the European Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and implemented in Fiji by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the Climate Mobility Innovation Lab (CMIL), the CCF is designed to channel small, fast grants to the communities judged most at risk across the Pacific.
The inaugural CCF Fiji Symposium, convened with Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, brought together government officials, regional institutions, private sector partners and community leaders to map priorities and fast-track locally designed projects. Permanent Secretary Dr. Sivendra Michael welcomed the initiative as a practical turn toward community empowerment, calling the Fund “more than a financing mechanism — it stands as a symbol of unwavering commitment to practical, community-centered solutions that empower those on the front line of climatic impacts.”
The CCF’s targeting is guided by the Risk Index for Climate Displacement (RICD), a tool that combines hazard data and local insights to identify communities at highest risk of climate-induced movement. Using the RICD, organizers have designated Fiji’s provinces of Ba and Macuata as priority areas for this first funding cycle and have opened a call for applications from community groups and local organisations in those provinces. Projects approved under the CCF will run for six months, with grants ranging from USD 5,000 to USD 25,000, prioritising quick, practical interventions such as flood management, water security and climate-resilient livelihoods.
A notable feature of the CCF is its private sector co-investment opportunity. The Fund is offering a matching scheme that allows businesses and national institutions to co-finance approved community projects on a 1:1 basis. The matching funds initiative is open to private sector partners, government agencies, civil society and community actors, and projects supported through co-financing will be implemented with oversight from IOM and CMIL. Organisers say the model is intended to demonstrate national commitment, share risk, and leverage additional resources to scale up locally led resilience.
The CCF launch follows an evolving regional effort to mainstream climate mobility into policy and finance. In November 2023, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders endorsed the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility — the first regionally endorsed framework of its kind — which sets out rights-based, people-centred approaches to support communities to stay safe, relocate where necessary, and access dignified migration options. Backers of the CCF frame the Fund as an operational step that translates the Framework’s priorities into rapid, on-the-ground support.
With the pilot in Vanuatu and the first applications open in Ba and Macuata, authorities and partners will be watching uptake and early results closely. The combination of data-led targeting, short-term catalytic grants and a co-financing route aims to deliver immediate relief while strengthening local capacity to manage climate risks — an approach Fiji officials say is critical as communities confront accelerating sea-level rise, worsening storms and other climate pressures across the Blue Pacific.
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