The Pacific region comprises 22 countries and territories. This is composed of 7,500 islands spread out over more than 30 million square kilometres, although the total land area accounts for just two percent of that total. The region has a population of about 9.6 million, two-thirds of whom live in Papua New Guinea. This Pacific island world is characterised by its great cultural diversity, geographical variety and a broad spectrum of political systems, ranging from dependent territories to democracies and monarchies.

The threat posed by climate change is one of greatest challenges facing the region. Among the consequences of global warming that endanger development in the Pacific islands are rising sea levels, higher temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and increases in extreme weather occurrences such as tropical hurricanes and floods. The situation in the small island states, which has always been difficult because of the heavy overuse of natural resources, limited domestic markets and great distances from export markets, will be further aggravated as a result of climate change. Due to the adverse initial conditions as well as limited capacities and competence, governments and local authorities are poorly equipped for the demands of adapting to climate change.

German technical cooperation has been active in the Pacific region for about 25 years. On behalf of German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), GIZ (formerly GTZ) is currently implementing a programme that focuses on climate protection and the sustainable use of natural resources.

GIZ (formerly GTZ) can call on many years of experience cooperating with SPC in the field of natural resources management. Valuable lessons were learned through the Pacific-German Regional Forestry Programme (PGRFP), which promoted sustainable forestry in the region from 1994 to 2008. These can now be used by other countries and integrated into the new climate protection programme.

The German-Pacific programme supports the region in the implementation of major strategies such as the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change (PIFACC) or the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). The programme also works intensively with other donors, especially the European Union (EU), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The programme office is in Suva, Fiji. The programme is assigned regionally to the GIZ office in Manila, Philippines.