Business Link Pacific Climate finance training, adviser tools and a policy brief for Pacific small businesses and the banks that serve them, funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
We delivered for:
A climate finance handbook and training for Pacific banks and business advisors, for Business Link Pacific, funded by New Zealand’s MFAT.
The assignment
ClientBusiness Link Pacific, funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
ProgrammeBusiness Link Pacific Phase II, NZD 26.2 million, 2022 to 2027
CountriesFiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands
Year2022 to present
Our roleClimate change strategy, climate finance training design and facilitation, adviser tools
Small businesses without climate advice
Advisers at the centre
Business Link Pacific develops the market for business advice to small and medium-sized enterprises across the Pacific. Accountancy firms, financial and business consultants and other local providers form networks that help small businesses build sound systems, grow and diversify, with technical support, subsidies and mentors from the programme.
Climate as a business risk
Small businesses in the Pacific face cyclones, floods and drought, and the climate finance that could help them adapt is fragmented and hard to reach. Business advisers had no climate services to offer, and bank managers had little guidance on assessing a green finance application or designing products for climate resilience.
Strategy, tools, training and policy
Climate change strategy
A climate change strategy and operating framework for Business Link Pacific, so that its private sector development support is climate-resilient, climate-adaptive and reduces emissions and environmental impact.
Climate diagnostic for small businesses
Content for the Climate Action Sensor and the in-depth diagnostic tool, built on Business Link Pacific’s online business health check, with a scoring system that shows a business its climate gaps and opportunities. The framework was developed and tested in Fiji to inform roll-out in other Pacific countries.
Climate competencies for advisers
Three competencies that business advisers can qualify in: Climate Change Adaptation Services, a climate finance badge under Financing and Loan Facilitation Services, and Environmental Impact Assessment Services. Each comes with one-day training and a questionnaire and scoring system for the programme’s competency assessment tool, introduced to providers in a webinar in May 2024.
Climate finance for banks
A map of the providers of climate finance and MSME finance in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, an assessment of existing programmes and knowledge gaps, and a handbook for bank managers and directors on green finance, gender inclusion in climate finance and assessing green finance applications. The handbook was validated with key informants and taught in workshops, including training in Papua New Guinea in June 2024 for 11 business advisers and 18 financial institution staff.
Solomon Islands and Cook Islands
Content for climate change innovation training for business advisers and women entrepreneurs, written for digital delivery, with needs assessments, support for local trainers and materials on the climate finance available to small businesses.
Cook Islands climate financing policy brief
A brief on how climate finance reaches the Cook Islands from the Green Climate Fund and other funders, the national distribution channels and climate policies, and the entry points for the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce, followed by adviser training adapted to the Cook Islands context.
Services used on Business Link Pacific
Training, climate finance and adaptation
Projects in the library
builds your SCORM courses
builds your SCORM coursesInteractive courses written by subject experts in climate finance, risk and inclusion, with scenarios, activities and knowledge checks, animated and filmed in-house, and packaged as SCORM, xAPI or cmi5 for Moodle, TalentLMS or any platform that reports completion and scores.
