Fiji sets up trust fund for climate change victims

The Fiji government has set up a trust fund to pay for the relocation of villages threatened by climate change.

FBC News reported Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum saying the fund was catered for in this year's budget.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum told the Ministerial Finance Dialogue at the United Nations in New York that a small percentage of money would be taken from the Environment and Climate Adaptation levy to finance the fund.

Forty-three villages in Fiji are threatened by sea level rise and have to be moved to higher ground, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.

The fund would also be available for climate adaptation measures and to ensure any relocations put people in positions to develop sustainable livelihoods, he said.