The Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC) Meeting has made a return to its place of origin in Port Vila, Vanuatu for its Seventh Meeting in session, under the theme ‘At the frontline of weather climate, water and ocean action in the Pacific’.
The meeting brings together Council members, development partners, CROP agencies, United Nations agencies, collaborating organisations and institutions on the status and advancement of weather, climate, water, ocean and related development services to support national development and strengthen climate and weather services in the Pacific.
Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Management, John Salong delivered the opening remarks for Vanuatu as Chair of the PMC. He highlighted the struggles the Pacific continues to face being at the frontline of climate change and the critical task of strengthening Pacific climate and weather services.
“It is with great pride that Vanuatu hosts this important gathering of leaders and experts in meteorology, climate, oceans and water. The Pacific region, as we all know too well, stands at the frontline of climate change impacts. Our livelihoods, cultures, and ecosystems are deeply intertwined with the ocean and weather systems, making your work not only essential to our development but crucial to our survival”.
“At the frontlines of weather, climate, water and oceans in the Pacific,” resonates deeply with us here in Vanuatu. We are a country that faces severe tropical cyclones, rising sea levels, and shifting rainfall patterns. Yet, we also see these challenges as an opportunity to strengthen our resilience, drawing upon our strong sense of community and our commitment to sustainability. The gathering of experts, knowledge, and experience that this meeting represents will help us all advance toward that goal”, he said.
Originally formed in Vanuatu in 1993 as the Regional Meteorological Services Directors (RMSD) Meeting, the fourteenth RMSDM held in the Marshall Islands in 2011 officially changed the name of the meeting to the PMC and was tasked with facilitating and coordinating the scientific and technical programme and activities of the Pacific National Meteorological Services.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Director General Sefanaia Nawadra highlighted the importance of this session for the Council.
“This Seventh Pacific Meteorological Council meeting is significant for several reasons. We are once again convening in Vanuatu, which holds historical importance for our meteorological community. Just over thirty years ago, in 1993, the region’s meteorological leaders met here in Port Vila for the first time, laying the groundwork for what would later become the RMSD Meeting.”
Nawadra expressed his gratitude for the genuine partnerships that have underpinned the success of the Council. “The progress we’ve achieved is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our region’s meteorological services and the ongoing support of our development partners. I want to extend our deepest gratitude to the many partners who have been integral to the success of our strategic initiatives”.
He also noted the successes of the PMC initiatives, such as the Weather Ready Pacific(WRP) Programme. “Thirty years ago, the journey for more cooperation and cohesion started, and today the progress made by the PMC and expert panels as well as the support towards the WRP Programme is a testament to those that had the foresight and wisdom to drive the success of the work we see here today”, he said.
The WRP Decadal Programme of Investment, is a 10-year programme endorsed by Pacific leaders in 2021 to strengthen the region’s ability to anticipate, plan for, and respond to high impact and extreme weather, water, and ocean events, and is a priority agenda item for the Council this session.
Outgoing PMC Chair, Misaeli Funaki, Director of the Fiji Meteorological Services acknowledged the WRP Programme as a PMC flagship initiative. “We have made significant progress in the WRP from the proposal to the initiative being operational this year. We welcome the new contributions from New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom, who joined Australia as the initial contributors to the WRP initiative”.
Cyrille Honore, World Meteorological Organisation Director, for Disaster Risk Reduction, Muti-Hazards Early Warning System Office and Public Weather Services also expressed his gratitude for the collective wisdom and shared vision for strengthened weather and climate services for the Pacific that have been the driving force behind the PMC.
The PMC-7 will be followed by the WRP Programme’s first Steering Committee Meeting on 20 September, where Council members will meet to discuss and map out a strategic way forward for the programme.
The Seventh Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-7), is held from 17-19 September 2024 in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
