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Friday, September 12 2025

Nadi, Fiji – March 20, 2025, Leaders of development banks from across the Pacific convened at the 2025 Association of Development Finance Institutions in the Pacific (ADFIP) Conference to reaffirm their commitment to regional collaboration and climate-resilient development finance. The event marked the next steps in the revitalization of ADFIP, which had been dormant since 2017, and served as a platform for Pacific development financing institutions (DFIs) to discuss strategic opportunities, share knowledge, and strengthen the collective capacity to advance green finance in the region.  

The conference was organized as part of the work being delivered under the Greening the Pacific Financial Systems Programme, an initiative funded by the AFD (Agence Française de Développement) and implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), aimed at enhancing the capacity of Pacific financial institutions to lead climate action and support national sustainable development goals (SDGs).  

“We are building more than systems; we are building regional solidarity. Through this programme, we aim to integrate development finance into national policy, support smaller institutions through stronger networks, and reposition Pacific development banks as full partners in delivering on the Paris Agreement. The next decade will define how well our financial institutions can respond to climate shocks. The work starts now.”, said Elodie Vitalis, Head of the AFD office in Fiji. 

“Development banks are not just financial institutions; they are development catalysts, uniquely positioned to deliver climate finance where it matters most,” She added.  

This event was key to charting the institutional renewal of ADFIP and laying out a roadmap for formalizing membership, updating the governance structure, and setting a strong policy agenda.  

“After years of dormancy, ADFIP is reawakening with purpose, our collective voice in the region is stronger when unified, coordinated, and equipped for climate action,” emphasized Jennifer Henry, Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of the Cook Islands and Chair of ADFIP. 

The conference spotlighted two regional priorities for ADFIP’s new strategic workstream: climate finance and correspondent banking access, both seen as critical to the long-term viability of development finance in small island states. 

“GGGI is proud to stand alongside ADFIP and its members as we lay the foundations for a green, inclusive, and Pacific-led financial transformation.” stated Epeli Waqavonovono, Senior Economist at GGGI Pacific.  

Moving forward, the conference came to an agreement to convene an Annual General Meeting later in the year, and the development of an ADFIP digital platform to support training, job sharing, and knowledge exchange. This will bring long-term impacts of enhancing institutional capacity, improving learning across the countries, and accelerating the development of climate-resilient finance systems in the Pacific region.  

About AFD 

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group finances, supports and accelerates the transitions necessary for a more just and resilient world. It thus contributes to implementing France’s policy on sustainable development and international solidarity. It is with and for communities that we build, with our partners, solutions in more than 160 countries, as well as in 11 French overseas departments and territories. 

Our objective: To reconcile economic development with the preservation of common goods: the climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality, education and health. Our teams are involved in more than 3,600 projects in the field, which are part of the commitment of France and the French people to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals. For a world in common. 

About GGGI 

Based in Seoul, GGGI is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization- with 45 Members and over 22 countries and regional integration organization(s) in the process of accession – dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies.  With operations in over 30 countries, GGGI serves the role of an enabler and facilitator of Members’ transition into a low-carbon green economy, providing policy advice and technical support in the development of green growth plans, policies and regulations, mobilization of green investments, implementation of green growth projects, and development of local capacities and knowledge sharing. Further information on GGGI’s events, projects and publications can be found at www.gggi.org.