12 June 2024, Belmopan, Belize – The Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), hosted at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in Apia Samoa, and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) have enhanced their collaboration to foster more cooperation and collaboration between the two regions. This follows a three-day information and knowledge sharing exchange held in Belmopan, Belize, from 3 – 5 June 2024.
As part of strengthening collaboration, the parties formulated a Strategic Framework for Enhanced Cooperation which highlights opportunities to build on the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two entities in 2019.
SPREP’s Director General, Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, said: “SPREP and the CCCCC have mutual interests in relation to climate change resilience, protection of the environment and developing and strengthening systems, institutions, organisations, and individuals concerned with climate change and environmental protection. We would like to see how we can collaborate and operationalise the MoU moving forward.”
The Executive Director of CCCCC, Dr Colin Young, welcomed the south-south exchange between SPREP through PCCC and CCCCC, saying it provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen the existing cooperation between the regional institutions.
“The outcome of the exchange is a commitment to working together to deliver on our respective mandates and identifying solutions to common challenges being experienced in areas of access to climate finance, capacity building, data collection and use as well as innovation that will collectively help us build the resilience of our citizens to the effects of climate change,” he said.
The information and knowledge exchange between SPREP and CCCCC followed the 4th Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) Conference held in Antigua and Barbuda. The delegation from SPREP was led by Director General Mr Nawadra, who was joined by Ms Tagaloa Cooper, SPREP’s Director Climate Change Resilience, Ms Ofa Ma’asi-Kaisamy, Manager PCCC, Ms Yvette Kerslake, Technical Adviser, Science to Services PCCC; and Ms Rachel Nunn-Crichton, Technical Adviser, Knowledge Brokerage, PCCC.
The three-day information and knowledge sharing exchange was also attended by Ms Melissa Mitchell, Deputy High Commissioner, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The Government of Australia has been instrumental in supporting both Centres in the delivery of their mandates to the countries they serve, such as the AUD 5-million-dollar investment into the operationalisation of the services of the Pacific Climate Change Centre, and the accreditation of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The establishment of the PCCC was inspired by the model of the CCCCC. South-South collaboration between the two centres began in 2014 when the CCCCC conducted a mission to SPREP during the 3rd SIDS conference. The collaboration was formalised with the signing of a MOU in 2019.
Since then, the PCCC has developed frameworks for planning and partnerships, which serve as delivery mechanisms for its four interrelated functions: Knowledge Brokerage, Science to Services, Capacity Building, and Innovation.
Ms ‘Ofa Ma’asi-Kaisamy, Manager PCCC said: “Partnerships are key to successfully deliver (effectively) on the four key functions of the Pacific Climate Change Centre – Knowledge Brokerage, Applied Research, Capacity Building and Training, and Innovation.”
Speaking from a donor perspective, Ms Melissa Mitchell, Deputy High Commissioner, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, The Government of Australia said that “Australia recognises the significant value in increased cooperation initiatives between the Pacific, the Caribbean and other SIDS regions in the field of climate change. Working together to catalyse action, the PCCC and CCCCC will be able to drive meaningful and innovative solutions to climate change that will result in transformative impacts over the long term and contribute to climate change resilience.”
The knowledge-sharing exchange explored ways to leverage and enhance South-South cooperation initiatives for the Pacific, Caribbean, and other SIDS regions. This involved discussing experiences with multilateral and bilateral funding agencies to access climate finance, identifying opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge, skills, and successful initiatives in key thematic areas of interest.
The exchange also identified new areas of cooperation for upcoming international and regional initiatives and events. It focused on governance, delivery mechanisms, partnerships, and climate finance access modalities of both the PCCC and the CCCCC, with the development of a Strategic Framework for Enhanced Cooperation between the two centres a major focus.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
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The Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) is the regional Centre of excellence for climate change information, research, capacity building, and innovation, hosted at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Apia, Samoa. As a Centre of excellence, the PCCC is mandated to provide practical information, support, and training to address the adaptation and mitigation priorities of Pacific Island communities.
The PCCC is underpinned by strong partnerships with Pacific Governments, applied research institutions, donors, civil society, and the private sector. The PCCC is a partnership between the Governments of Japan and Samoa. It is funded under grant aid through JICA for Samoa as the host country of SPREP. Additionally, the Centre receives generous funding and support from the Governments of New Zealand and Australia.
About the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC):
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre is an intergovernmental organization established by the Heads of Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to coordinate the region's response to managing and adapting to climate change. The CCCCC also serves as a delivery partner for climate finance for the region, a repository for regional climate change information and data provider of climate change-related policy advice and guidelines to the CARICOM Member States.
For more information, please visit www.caribbeancimate.bz