SUVA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Ministry of Forests is finalizing the Emissions Reduction Program (ERP) document with feedback from the independent World Bank Technical Advisory Panel in order to receive funds for emission reduction.

Fiji is party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is obliged to develop and implement programs for mitigating or adapting to changing environmental conditions due to climate change.

According to a press release by the Fijian government on Tuesday, Fiji's Minister for Forests Osea Naiqamu on Tuesday said they would submit Fiji's ERP to the Fijian Cabinet first for endorsement as soon as this month. And later in July, they will present Fiji's ERP to the Forest Carbon Partnership Fund -- Carbon Fund Participants Committee.

If Fiji's ERP is approved by the Carbon Fund, the island nation will be eligible to receive payment for emissions reduction.

Fiji's ERP document proposes efforts to combat climate change by removing from the atmosphere and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the forest at the rate of two million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in five years.

"Legal analysis of forest carbon rights in the context of Fiji is fundamental to providing certainty towards trading of carbon and for developing benefit sharing mechanism. The right to sequestered carbon is a new and unique form of property rights."

Fiji's ERP is due to be implemented by June 2020.