The FAO Subregional Office of the Pacific Island is pleased to welcome Ms Ana Tiraa, Natural Resources Management/Climate Change Officer.

A national from the Cook Islands, Ana will lead technical work and partnership building on climate change and natural resources management within the Pacific Subregion, particularly with proposal preparations and negotiations related to the Green Climate Fund (CGF).

Ana brings over 20 years conservation/environmental/climate change work experience in the Cook Islands and the Pacific. She has undertaken sustainable development related work for Government, National and international NGOs, communities, development partners, private sector and inter-governmental regional organizations. 

“I have served as the Director of Climate Change, Office of the Prime Minster of the Cook Islands.  In my role as the Director, I covered budgetary and planning processes, policy setting, advisory services, UNFCCC negotiation, resource mobilization, communication and capacity development”.

She has been involved in preparing readiness proposals for the Cook Islands. (Cook Islands was the first SIDS to obtain direct access to Readiness Support).  

Furthermore, she worked on establishing and implementing the GCF No-Objection Procedure for the Cook Islands.  She has also led the Cook Islands delegation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations.

“I look forward to working with Pacific member nations and partners in addressing climate change impacts, especially on food security.  At the end of the day getting healthy, nutritious and affordable food on the table is paramount.  We all need to ensure that food and nutrition security for the Pacific Islands are not compromised in the face of climate change”.

What is the Green Climate Fund?
Established in 2010, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) finances climate change projects and programmes that help developing countries adapt to climate impacts and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

GCF has approved USD 2.2 billion for 43 projects and programmes to date. The Pacific region has already made strong progress, with seven projects totalling more than USD 250 million approved for the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. These projects will involve building the region’s resilience to climate impacts and tapping the potential for renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions.