Partnerships take centre stage at #COP29 Australian Pavilion as Australia launches REnew Pacific
Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, joined a special event on Saturday that highlighted Australia’s practical energy transition support for the Pacific, including our Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships for the Pacific and Timor-Leste, at the Australian Pavilion at #COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Australian Ambassador for Climate Change, Kristin Tilley, chaired the packed event, featuring showcases from two partnerships, including:
- Strengthening women’s control and access to clean and affordable energy in Vanuatu with Flora Vano, Country Manager, ActionAid Vanuatu and Michelle Higelin, Executive Director, ActionAid Australia
- Catalysing coffee through renewable energy for off-grid communities in Timor-Leste with Felisbela Guterres Pires, Timor-Leste Country Manager, Engineers Without Borders Australia and Matt Graylee, Director, Raw Material
It also featured highlights from Solomon Islands’ partnerships launched in June this year.
At the event, Minister Bowen announced a $75 million investment through the REnew Pacific program to support the Pacific transition away from fossil fuels, improve energy security, benefit from the global transition to renewable energy and drive climate resilient development in remote communities.
REnew Pacific is part of Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership, a $350million initiative for climate infrastructure in the region. Delivered by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, the program will help deliver off-grid and community scale renewable energy in remote and rural parts of the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
The five-year program aims to deliver projects that respond directly to the energy needs of remote communities of the Pacific and Timor-Leste, enabling lighting, access to water, improved agriculture, better food security, quality education and health services, reliable communications connectivity and enhanced incomes.
