The Government of Tonga launched its second Joint National Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management (JNAP 2, 2018-2028) in August 2018, with the definition of a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and an update of the JNAP 1 (2010-2015). In December 2015, Tonga submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, INDCs to the UNFCCC Secretariat and ratified the Paris Agreement in September 2016.The NDC identified developing a NAP as a priority for implementation and identified JNAP as a key mechanism for achieving NDC goals in a manner that is inclusive, equitable and respects gender and social concerns as outlined within the Paris Agreement and the policies of the Green Climate Fund. This grant on a wider scale will contribute to the global goal on adaptation in the Paris Agreement – to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and gender response in all climate financing programs, and reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts.

This GCF NAP project aims to build on Tonga's NDC by accelerating the NDC vision to scale up adaptation in the medium to long-term. Tonga's NDC reiterates that adaptation is Tonga's priority response to climate change and also links to its Third National Communication and JNAP 2.

In addition, the principal barriers that hinder effective adaptation planning in Tonga relate to governance and effective coordination mechanisms at national, sectoral, community and outer islands level to address CCA. But there is also a need for greater technical and scientific methodologies and frameworks for the analysis of climate change vulnerabilities, impacts and adaptation, more coordinated approaches to research, monitoring and management of data and information and a strategy to mobilize resources for the implementation of priority actions identified in the JNAP and Tonga GCF Country Programme.

The overall goal of the proposed GCF NAP project is to strengthen the capacity for effective adaptation planning in Tonga. This project will support the Government of Tonga (GoT) to advance its NAP planning process through its JNAP 2 framework by building on existing capacities and enhancing institutions already in place at national, sectoral, community levels as well as the Outer Islands in planning processes for adaptation planning through the following four inter-related outcomes:

• Institutional framework and coordination for the implementation of the NAP process strengthened in T onga
• Climate vulnerability and adaptation investment rationale strengthened in Tonga.
• Coordinated approaches to research, monitoring and management of data and information developed for adaptation planning in Tonga
• Adaptation financing expenditure and mobilization diversified in Tonga.