ATO Supports Fiji's Transition to Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Transport Through Data and Financing Insights
The Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) participated in the national workshop "Strengthening the Capacity of Fiji to Implement Low Carbon and Resilient Transport Action Plans," held on 13-14 October 2026 in Suva, Fiji. The workshop was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and Fiji’s Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport, with support from the NDC Partnership.
The workshop brought together government agencies, development partners, technical experts, and other stakeholders to discuss the implementation of Fiji's Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), particularly its transport-related measures, financing requirements, institutional arrangements, and monitoring needs.
Represented by Co-Team Lead Alvin Mejia, ATO contributed to two technical and policy sessions, demonstrating how accessible transport data, analytical tools, and investment evidence can support the development and implementation of low-carbon and climate-resilient transport action plans.
Turning Transport Data into Climate Action
During the session on Transport Data, Emissions Modelling and Monitoring Frameworks on 13 October, ATO presented a range of data platforms, country profiles, and visualization tools that can support Fiji's transport decarbonization and resilience priorities.
These included the Pacific Transport Observatory, which consolidates transport-related indicators, policies, and knowledge resources for Pacific Island countries; the Transport and Climate Change Profiles, which provide evidence on emissions, transport activity, energy use, and policy commitments; and the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport Country Dashboards, which connect national transport performance with broader sustainable development objectives.
ATO also highlighted thematic resources covering road safety, gender, maritime transport, infrastructure climate exposure, and transport project costs.
Together, these tools can help establish transport baselines, identify priority interventions, benchmark progress, and strengthen monitoring and reporting under Fiji's climate commitments.
Understanding Fiji's Transport Investment and Financing Needs
On 14 October, ATO contributed to the session on Financing, Capacity, and Enabling Conditions for Implementation, presenting findings on transport investment and financing in Fiji and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Drawing on ATO's Asian Transport 2035 Outlook, the presentation highlighted an estimated USD 2.6 trillion in transport infrastructure investment needs across low- and middle-income economies in Asia and the Pacific over the coming decade.
At the country level, ATO's Transport Development Finance Explorer showed that Fiji received approximately USD 788 million in transport development finance commitments between 1973 and 2024, including around USD 227 million during 2020–2024. Road transport accounted for approximately 78% of the historical commitments.
The presentation also highlighted the importance of integrating climate resilience into investment decisions. ATO analysis, drawing on Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure data, indicated that Fiji faces approximately USD 5 million in average annual losses from damage to transport infrastructure due to multiple hazards, with roads accounting for around half of these losses. The findings underscored the importance of mobilizing diverse financing sources, strengthening project preparation and investment governance, and securing long-term funding for infrastructure maintenance and resilience.