[18 November 2011 - Suva, Fiji] – AusAID Counsellor-Regional, Ms. Romaine Kwesius and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr. Knut Ostby will launch the Pacific Solution Exchange: Climate Change and Development (CCD) network on Tuesday 22 November, 2011 at 5.30pm at the Tanoa Plaza Hotel in Suva.

The Pacific Solution Exchange is a mail-group based initiative that links development professionals and practitioners together to share knowledge, innovative ideas and practical experiences to help solve problems, pass on suggestions and offer advice in an open and free way that can help lead to solving immediate problems or add to a body of knowledge that can be retrieved for use in the future. The ‘Climate Change and Development’ (CCD) community is being launched to emphasize the importance of considering climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the context of promoting broader development effectiveness which embraces not only planning but also budgeting, expenditure and implementation. The CCD community is managed by UNDP, with financial support from AusAID.

The launch event will provide more insight on how the Pacific Solution Exchange works, and the importance and relevance of a climate change and development network for the Pacific.

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For further information contact: Shobhna Decloitre on (679) 3300399 ext. 207 or shobhna.decloitre@undp.org.