10 March 2025
(Tokyo, Japan) - The Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) received a further significant boost today with the announcement of an initial contribution of 417,000,000 Japanese Yen (approximately 3 million USD), from the Government of Japan.
The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Baron Divavesi Waqa, made this joint announcement with Japan’s Foreign Minister, Hon. Iwaya Takeshi in Tokyo to mark the historic milestone for the PRF as a Pacific-owned and Pacific-led regional resilience financing facility for Pacific communities.
The Foreign Minister and Secretary General also discussed a proposed dialogue mechanism between the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enhance joint partnerships for the successful delivery of the PALM commitments.
This initial capitalisation contribution by Japan to the PRF demonstrates Japan’s ongoing commitment and support to strengthening the climate and disaster resilience of vulnerable grassroot communities across Forum Island Countries.
“The PRF is a critical initiative, designed by the Pacific for the Pacific, to address the exacerbated challenges of climate change and natural disasters for our communities,” said Secretary General Waqa.
Japan’s support recognises the importance of community-centred and locally led solutions to build sustainable, resilient communities that ensure no one is left behind.
“The capitalisation contribution from Japan will also be the first to be paid to the PRF and demonstrates the strength of our partnership. It also sends a strong signal to our long-standing development partners to respond to the call from Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to support the capitalisation of the PRF”, he said.
The PRF is the first international financial institution to be collectively owned by Pacific Islands Forum member governments, dedicated to providing small-scale grant financing for Pacific communities. The PRF aims to collaborate with the Pacific Islands Forum’s partners, multilateral development institutions and global climate funds to deliver for Pacific communities at the last mile of the development dollar.
“Natural disasters are becoming more intense and frequent. Our communities need to access financing to be able to respond to these challenges in a dignified way. I look forward to visiting communities in Japan to learn how Japan’s communities also respond to disasters,” said SG Waqa.
The PRF Treaty is earmarked to be signed at the 54th Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in the Solomon Islands in September 2025, be legally established by the end of 2025, and aims to commence granting by the end of 2026.
The Pacific Islands Forum and the Government of Japan continue to strengthen their cooperation through shared commitments to regional resilience, sustainable development, and climate action. Today’s funding milestone marks a step forward in advancing the Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the collective vision for a secure and resilient Pacific.
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