Kiribati Outer Islands Resilience and Adaptation Project

The development objective of the Outer Islands Resilience and Adaptation Project for Kiribati is to: (i) strengthen the capabilities of island councils for risk-informed land development planning and basic infrastructure and service delivery; and (ii) strengthen the climate resilience of vulnerable communities. The project comprises of three components. The first component, expansion of basic infrastructure and services on outer islands will finance basic and competitive subprojects to eligible Island Councils (ICs) for small-scale, risk-informed infrastructure, equipment, and technical studies. It consists of following sub-components: (i) local government investments in water supply and drainage improvements; and (ii) local government investments for resilient infrastructure and services. The second component, strengthening risk-informed spatial planning and asset management will strengthen the capabilities (human resources and systems) of all Island and Urban Councils in Kiribati for climate and disaster risk-informed spatial planning and asset management by preparing and implementing a carefully targeted program of technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge transfer activities to all Councils and central Government agencies (MIA, Ministry of the Environment, Lands, and Agriculture Development - MELAD and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy - MISE). The third component, project management and monitoring will finance the establishment and operations of a Project Management Unit (PMU) within MIA to manage key functions including project planning, coordination, technical, and monitoring and evaluation throughout the project implementation period. The project will strengthen climate resilience in Kiribati through hybrid flood risk reduction measures, including bioswales, rain gardens, and detention ponds.