The UNCDF team in Fiji is one of our partners through their support as a long-term private office occupant at Greenhouse Coworking.
UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models to unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. The “last mile” is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave vulnerable people excluded.
In the Pacific, UNCDF works in three important areas: (i) Climate Disaster Risk Finance, (ii) Digital economies and Innovative finance, and (iii) Blue Economy.
Partnering with UNDP, UNCDF has launched three initiatives in the region to foster inclusive digital economies, boost private sector-led growth and strengthen the resilience of low-income households against natural disasters, and attract private and public capital for the blue economy. The programmes include:
- Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP)
- Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP)
- Investing in Coral Reefs and the Blue Economy Programme
PDEP will be a key driver for many of the activities and initiatives that are most interesting for the co-working space community. As a successor of the well-known Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme, it will aim to leverage digital technologies to enable greater financial inclusion in the region. With correct application, digital technologies offer a way for Pacific islanders to improve their livelihoods and quality of life.
In Fiji, UNCDF has also partnered with business incubator, Matanataki, to develop innovative financing solutions to spur impact investments from the private sector in reef-positive businesses. This will help the country sustain and harness the benefits of a healthy blue economy and meet its targets under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda.