The U. S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gathered climate change stakeholders in the Pacific to assist in assessing the current capacity and challenges in advancing flood and drought EWS. Participants included professionals from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), Sustainable Pacific Community (SPC), the World Meteorological Organization RA-V Regional Office, Non-Governmental Organizations such as Red Cross, local authorities, community organizations, and other stakeholders from the agricultural, tourism, and/or transportation sectors.
The 9-days’ workshop commenced from the 15th to 23rd July 2024, and in two-fold – one week workshop first for the forecasters and followed by the stakeholders’ workshop on the 22nd – 23rd July. The Ministry of Line & Phoenix Islands Development led the Kiribati team.
The stakeholder workshop is part of the implementation of the Pacific PREPARE (President Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience) Plan. The PREPARE project will enhance capacity in the Pacific by developing training materials and delivering the training to climate services professionals and decision makers institutions in the region.
Following the workshop, NOAA will use state-of-the-art scientific methods to develop drought monitoring and outlook tools, provide training to stakeholders in the Pacific, and work with regional and national institutions in the region to co-develop drought risks in agriculture, water resource management, and food security. NOAA will further foster collaboration within the Pacific to enable effective planning to reduce the impacts of drought on the livelihood of people.
Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Fiji are selected as pilot islands for this project.
