The Third Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-3), which met under the theme 'Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific,' brought together over 100 Pacific Meteorological Directors, partners and stakeholders to discuss how to strengthen meteorology in the Pacific.
The meeting, which convened from 20-23 July 2015, in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, preceded the first Pacific Ministers Meeting on Meteorology (PMMM) on 24 July.
25 July 2015: The Third Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-3), which met under the theme ‘Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific,’ brought together over 100 Pacific Meteorological Directors, partners and stakeholders to discuss how to strengthen meteorology in the Pacific. The meeting, which convened from 20-23 July 2015, in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, preceded the first Pacific Ministers Meeting on Meteorology (PMMM) on 24 July.
Among other things, delegates at PMC-3 discussed ways to enhance resources for weather and climate services in order to contribute more effectively to the sustainable development needs of Pacific island countries and territories, and adopted a declaration on weather and climate services.
PMC-3 aimed to: facilitate coordination and networking among PMC members, development partners, and collaborating organizations and institutions doing work related to meteorological and hydrological services; facilitate discussions by PMC members on issues related to advancing meteorological and hydrological services in the Pacific, which will contribute to strengthening community resilience; and provide an opportunity to share experiences and review progress made.
Siaosi Sovaleni, Deputy Prime Minister, Tonga, stated that improving the capacities of National Meteorology and Hydrological Services in the Pacific will enhance the region’s capacity to manage the impacts of natural hazards and improve development through “timely and accurate weather, climate and water services.”
During the PMMM, HRH Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala, Tonga, stressed that quality weather and climate information is necessary to adapt, reduce risk and build resilience against climate and weather related hazards. David Sheppard, Director-General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), noted that: SPREP has had a climate change programme for more than 25 years, long before “climate change was a household word”; and meteorology is critical for the region’s sustainable development.
In a presentation, Mary Power, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), underlined that: the World Bank estimates that better water and weather services will lead to US$30 billion a year in global productivity; and every US$1 spent on improving national water and weather services reduced losses of between US$4 and US$36. She described the economic benefits of improved services, including that a 1% reduction in damage from improved warnings generated regional cash savings of US$3.62 million.
The PMMM concluded with the endorsement of a declaration on weather and climate services. The ‘Nuku’alofa Ministerial Declaration for Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific’ links regional goals to international sustainable development frameworks, specifically the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Regarding a proposal to convene annual ministerial meetings, instead of every four years, ministers agreed, after some discussion, to meet every two years.
The Declaration, inter alia, calls for: support to ensure the speedy implementation of the Pacific Roadmap on Strengthening Climate Services in the Pacific; and exploring possibilities for establishing and operating a Regional Climate Centre and a WMO Regional Training Center, developing regional research capacity, and convening an annual Pacific Island Climate Outlook Forum in the future.
On the sidelines of the event, WMO and SPREP formalized an agreement, titled ‘PacificMet Desk Partnership,’ which will manage and implement a programme of actions over a two-year period to ensure capacities and mechanisms for climate services production and delivery are in place. Activities will include: developing a report on the status of climate capacity in the Pacific region; carrying out regional consultations on the future climate outlook related to water, agriculture and health, as well as stakeholder consultations; developing national drought policies; and providing regional training on basic information technology knowledge for producing climate services.
Prior to PMC-3 and PMMM, two workshops were held from 15-17 July 2015: the Republic of Korea-Pacific Islands Climate Prediction Regional Training and Inception Workshop; and a Regional Media Training Workshop. The first aimed to strengthen the ability of Pacific meteorologists to generate three monthly forecasts with a Climate Predictions System Tool or ‘CLIK,’ a three-year project funded by the Republic of Korea. The media workshop focused on strengthening weather and climate reporting skills.
PMC-3 and the PMMM were organized by WMO and SPREP, among others. The PMC’s objective is to help coordinate the facilitation of meteorological services, and discuss ways to continue implementing the Pacific Island Meteorological Strategy. PMC-2 was held in Fiji in 2013. [WMO Press Release, 20 July] [Government of Tonga Press Release] [SPREP Press Release on PMC-3] [SPREP Press Release on PMMM] [SPREP Press Release on SPREP-WMO Partnership] [SPREP Press Release on Declaration] [PMC Website] [PMC-3 Concept Note] [PMMM Concept Note] [Pacific Islands Meteorological 2012-2021]