Managing adaptation finance in SIDS : a study of subnational allocation criteria and procedures in Seychelles

Abstract

The international climate regime considers Small Island Developing States (SIDS) priority recipients for international adaptation finance due to their high vulnerability to climate change. This objective neglects two important aspects: firstly, vulnerability is unevenly distributed at the subnational level. Therefore, protecting the most vulnerable requires not only providing finance to SIDS, but also ensuring that it reaches the most vulnerable people and areas within them. Secondly, vulnerability is a complex and context-dependent phenomenon that may differ between and even within communities. Studies on subnational adaptation finance tend to apply pre-defined indicators of need and treat national governments as unitary actors. However, governments consist of a web of different entities and individuals with potentially differing perceptions and interests. To explain subnational allocation, we need to understand it better from a recipient country perspective, including who makes the decisions and who are perceived as the most vulnerable. This paper examines priorities and procedures shaping subnational adaptation finance allocation in Seychelles, through interviews and analysis of government reports. The findings indicate inconsistent perceptions between and within public entities of who are those particularly vulnerable. Actors prioritise projects protecting the largest number of people and the economy, which they perceive as a way to protect the most vulnerable. Whether this is plausible must be evaluated in the context of Seychelles’ fragile and undiversified economy. Finally, public entities in Seychelles have uneven decision-making power and capacity constraints, resulting in certain sectors being prioritised over others for adaptation finance.