With support from European Climate Foundation and the 2050 Pathways Program, the Global Green Growth Institute and Climateworks Australia visited Tonga in August to conduct scoping for the development of Tonga’s Long Term – Low Emissions Development Strategy.

The development is led by the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC) through the Tonga Climate Change Department.

Consultations were undertaken with stakeholders covering benefits, approaches and proposed timelines for the strategy. The closing consultation meeting brought together stakeholders from all sectors, government and NGOs, and was chaired by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director of Energy, Mr Tevita Tukunga.

Climateworks will draw on our previous Horizon to Horizon work to inform the project. Tonga is the third country in the Pacific region to initiate solutions in this area, showing ongoing leadership from the region on long term, low-emissions development.