SUVA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- About 6,000 Fijians from 16 urban settlements around the island nation are part of a program funded by the United Nations Adaptation Fund Board to improve their livelihoods in the face of climate change.

The UN Adaptation Fund Board has given 4.2 million Fijian dollars (about 1.95 million U.S. dollars) out of which 2.6 million Fijian dollars (about 1.2 million U.S. dollars) has been utilized to fund these highly vulnerable settlements.

UN Habitat Urban Resilience Team Leader Silvia Gallo told Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) on Tuesday that the team had completed the households assessment and consultation in Fiji.

The agreement of cooperation regarding the four-year program was signed this year between Fiji and UN Habitat.

The 16 informal settlements are situated in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island and includes the areas in Nadi, Lami, Lautoka and Sigatoka.

According to the Fijian government, Fiji, like its neighbors across the South Pacific, remains one of the smallest contributors to global carbon emissions, yet faces some of the most devastating consequences of extreme weather patterns.

According to Fiji's National Climate Change Policy, global sea level changes will more than double by the end of the century. Since 1993, Fiji has recorded a 6 millimeter increase in its sea level per year, higher than the global average. The rapid rise in sea levels and the resulting saltwater intrusion that stems from the increased ferocity of coastal floods have made portions of the island nation uninhabitable.