Intergenerational Trust Funds in the Pacific

This paper serves to introduce the topic of intergenerational trust funds and their legal forms in the Pacific. It gives an overview of the nature of these funds, what distinguishes them one from the other, and their strengths and weaknesses from a legal point of view. Intergenerational trust funds started with primarily budget support purposes but have been adapted over the years to serve other purposes, in particular the protection of ecosystems and for climate adaptation and environmental protection and disaster relief. Following a consideration of the structural and operational aspects of some key Pacific funds, the paper concludes with a reflection on practice over the years and identifies what is or should be best practice for such funds.