Te Kaniva: Tuvalu Climate Change Policy 2012

The Te Kaniva: Tuvalu Climate Change Policy envisions to protect Tuvalu's status as a nation and its cultural identity, and to build its capacity to ensure a safe, resilient and prosperous future. The purpose of Te Kaniva is to set out the strategic priorities for scaling up the Government of Tuvalu’s commitments in responding to climate change, both in terms of current and future vulnerabilities. The policy promotes a coordinated approach to strengthen the capacity of Tuvalu in reducing current and projected climate change impacts and risks such as the risk of loss of life, economic disruption and damage to the environment and property, and to alleviate poverty in vulnerable groups, thus ensuring a healthy, educated, peaceful and prosperous Tuvalu. The Te Kaniva is complementary to Tuvalu's national strategy for sustainable development, and Tuvalu intends to incorporate the climate change policy into every sector’s development and implementation plans. 

The Te Kaniva identifies priority thematic goals namely:

• Strengthening adaptation actions to address current and future vulnerabilities; 
• Improving understanding and application of climate change data, information and site specific impacts assessment to inform adaptation and disaster risk reduction programmes 
• Enhancing Tuvalu's governance arrangements and capacity to access and manage climate change and disaster management finances 
• Developing and maintaining Tuvalu's infrastructure to withstand climate change impacts, climate vulnerability, disaster risks and climate change projection 
• Ensuring energy security and a low-carbon future for Tuvalu 
• Planning for effective disaster preparedness, response and recovery 
• Guaranteeing the security of the people of Tuvalu from the impacts of climate change
• Maintenance of national sovereignty

For each goal, key issues are identified, together with strategies and expected outcomes.