9 December 2023, Dubai, UAE - A High-Level Side Event was held on the margins of the UNFCCC COP28 meetings in Dubai UAE, on the role of the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) to enhance climate action in the Pacific.
The event organised on Saturday 2 December at the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion showcased climate change support and actions delivered to Pacific Island countries.
The panelists for the event included, the Honorable Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Samoa and Chair of the PCCC Advisory board, Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Solomon Islands Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology, Dr. Melchior Mataki, Lord Speaker of the Parliament of Tonga, Lord Fakafanua, Director General of SPREP, Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, and Ms Gillian Dempster, Special Advisor for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Government of New Zealand.
Ms Gillian Dempster in her opening remarks noted the financial support from the Government of New Zealand for key staff of the PCCC and the formulation of frameworks for each of the four key functions as delivery mechanisms to enhance of climate change. She further reflected and applauded the progress on the delivery of activities through the PCCC, in its effort to build climate change resilience in the Pacific.
Lord Fakafanua, Speaker of the Tonga Legislative Assembly, acknowledged the PCCC for its generous support for capacity building of Parliamentarians Pacific. He emphasised the critical role that Parliamentarians play in building resilience to climate change. He reiterated that there is a great need to further democratize science and invest in the role of Parliamentarians on discussions relating to decarbonization. He expressed his appreciation for the ongoing partnership with the PCCC which began at COP 27 in Sharm-El-Shiek and rapidly evolved into other support that has been very productive.
Dr Melchior Mataki, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Government of the Solomon Islands, drew on in-country initiatives delivered in partnership with the PCCC. He emphasized that the PCCC Greening of the Games initiative was a timely response to the needs of Solomon Islands as the host of the 17th Pacific Games in its efforts to drive sustainability and environmental actions across the Pacific Games. Such partnership approach can be amplified to serve the Pacific better if the PCCC is fully resourced.
Mr Akihiro Miyazaki, Global Environmental Department, Deputy Director General, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also spoke at the event and provided a brief overview of the new Technical Cooperation Project for Capacity Building for Innovative Solutions for Pacific Resilience which is planned to be implemented by the PCCC in quarter one 2024.
Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General, SPREP, called for ways to accelerate and scale-up support to the PCCC. He further stated, “Partnerships with the PCCC should not remain the same, but grow with (financial) investment, staffing support, delivery to Pacific people, and the PCCC governance mechanisms”. He stressed the importance of pre-identifying risks, such as flexibility, to the PCCC and looking at solutions to enhance engagement.
Panelists expressed the need for long-term support and investment in the work of the PCCC in order for it to deliver on its key functions. Such an investment is needed urgently to ensure that climate action is being delivered to the Pacific Island countries.
The Manager of the PCCC Ms ‘Ofa Ma’asi-Kaisamy acknowledged with gratitude the support of Member countries, partners and donors to strengthen the service delivery of the PCCC in enhancing climate action in the Pacific.
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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, Ireland, and Australia.