ASIATODAY.ID, MANILA — Facing an escalating ecological emergency across its vast marine territories, Kiribati has secured a $10 million policy-based grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to reinforce environmental protection, strengthen public sector governance, and support inclusive and climate-resilient economic reforms.
The funding arrives as the Pacific island nation intensifies its battle against accelerating ocean degradation that threatens food security, livelihoods, and its long-term survival.
The grant is provided through the Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Recovery Program (Subprogram 2), which builds upon earlier reforms aimed at boosting resilience and fostering broad-based, sustainable growth.
“These reforms will help build a more dynamic and job-creating private sector, while expanding women’s role in the workforce as a driver of economic progress,” said Aaron Batten, Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office on December 2, 2025.
Under Subprogram 2, Kiribati has advanced comprehensive measures to modernize public financial management, expand the national tax base, enhance oversight of state-owned enterprises, and strengthen the legal framework governing the digital economy.
The program also improves transparency in public expenditure—a crucial step for a country managing both fiscal vulnerabilities and acute environmental pressures.
A key component of the initiative is the development of the SafeNet database, designed to document cases of gender-based violence and support targeted interventions. The database will expand vocational training and financial inclusion opportunities for women survivors, enabling them to build more secure livelihoods in an economy increasingly strained by climate impacts.
At the heart of the program lies its landmark fisheries and ocean resource management policy, which aims to safeguard Kiribati’s critical marine ecosystems. Confronted by rising sea levels, declining fish stocks, and widespread environmental degradation, the policy seeks to ensure the sustainable use and long-term conservation of the country’s ocean resources—central to both national food systems and economic stability.
The $10 million grant is financed through the Asian Development Fund (ADF), alongside parallel support from the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and the World Bank. The ADF provides grants to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries in Asia and the Pacific, contributing to 384,000 people escaping poverty and generating around 500,000 jobs between 2021 and 2024.
Unlike project-specific financing, policy-based grants are disbursed directly into government budgets once the required reforms are completed. This gives countries the flexibility to address urgent development and environmental needs in real time.
As Kiribati confronts rising seas and a rapidly deteriorating marine environment, ADB’s intervention represents a critical effort to safeguard the Pacific Ocean and support the survival of a nation whose future is inseparable from the health of its surrounding waters. (AT Network)
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