Tonga’s Frontline: Turning Climate Exposure into Investable Resilience

Meeting with Dr. Vailala Matoto, CEO at the Ministry of Fisheries of the Kingdom of Tonga. Photo: PVBLIC Foundation

In Tonga, the horizon itself teaches policy. Cyclones are more intense, seas inch higher, and a single event can set back years of progress. Against this backdrop, a delegation of the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP), also known as the Nature Bank, travelled to Nukuʻalofa on 10 October 2025 for focused consultations on resilient development pathways with financing that not only rebuilds after shocks but strengthens the system before shocks occur.

The delegation (Dr. Hyginus “Gene” Leon, Executive Director, DBRP; Dr. Greg Scott Executive Director, SDG Data Alliance; and Ms. Ashaki Goodwin; Director, Government Affairs) engaged with ministerial counterparts and senior officials on innovative financing modalities that align with Tonga’s development priorities. The PVBLIC team also made a presentation to the Reserve Bank of Tonga, which was attended by the in-country representatives of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, explaining how DBRP instruments and data infrastructure can complement existing programmes as well as mobilise private capital.

Why Tonga, and why now?

Tonga sits at the nexus of climate exposure and ocean-based opportunity. The case for partnership is threefold:

• Systemic resilience: Nature-positive investments—coastal protection, blue infrastructure, watershed management—lower long-run fiscal risk while supporting jobs and livelihoods.

• Shock-smart finance: State-contingent features (for example, parametric triggers, grace-period switches, outcome-linked coupons) help preserve fiscal space when hazards hit, so essential services continue without derailing core reforms.

• Data-anchored credibility: With the SDG Data Alliance, Tonga is in the process of developing and deploying a Country Data Hub that will fuse geospatial, climate, socio-economic, and other relevant datasets. This enables the Government and communities to prioritise projects, track delivery transparently, and measure evidence-based outcomes that earn better terms from financiers.

Meeting with the officials from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources of the Kingdom of Tonga. Photo: PVBLIC Foundation.

The path forward 

The Nature Bank and SDG Data Alliance recognize the essential role and leadership of Tonga in the region. The team and the respective counterparts highlighted the importance of nature-driven pathways that combine coastal protection, climate-smart community enterprises, and blue infrastructure—each with measurable resilience and livelihood indicators.

Throughout their discussions, they explored possibilities and scenarios where PVBLIC Foundation’s programs and expertise can foster a resilient and sustainable future. For example, the DBRP’s instruments can catalyze co-financing pathways alongside multilateral partners to bridge the gaps and the SDG Data Alliance offers opportunities for creating national Data Hubs to standardise datasets, publish dashboards, and create an auditable line of sight from investment to verified results.

To learn more about PVBLIC Foundation’s programs and initiatives, visit pvblic.org/what-we-do