SPC Geoscience Division

Monday 16 September 2013, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji: Fifty-nine staff members of the Secretariat of the Pacific (SPC) staff have completed disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change training in recent months.

Half-day training sessions were held in Suva (Fiji), Honiara (Solomon Islands), Pohnpei (Federated States of Micronesia) and Noumea (New Caledonia), designed to build staff capacity in areas related to climate change and disaster risk management. It is part of a programme of action to mainstream these issues across all of the divisions of SPC.

Because of their impact on social, economic, market and industry sectors, DRM and climate change are considered ‘cross-cutting’ issues, and SPC is integrating such issues into its programmatic approach to development.  This process is referred to as mainstreaming.

SPC is the Pacific region’s principal technical and scientific organisation. Its divisions are involved in research and project implementation in the areas of applied geoscience and technology; public health; fisheries, aquaculture and marine environment; economic development (transport and energy); statistics for development; land resources (agriculture, forestry, land use, animal health, etc.); and education, training and human development.

The training for SPC staff is designed to enable them to better understand DRM and climate change and to factor this professional awareness into personal roles and functions. The training is also designed to enable SPC staff to further contribute to the organisational goal of serving Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) by assisting them to mainstream DRM and climate change into national and regional planning processes.

Majuro, September 6, 2013 - This afternoon, the United States and the Republic of Kiribati signed a boundary treaty delimiting the waters between their two countries. The boundary treaty was signed on behalf of the United States by Ambassador Frankie A. Reed and, for the Republic of Kiribati, by President Anote Tong. The treaty was signed in Majuro, Marshall Islands, in connection with the Pacific Islands Forum.

During the signing ceremony Ambassador Reed said, “This maritime boundary treaty with Kiribati further highlights that the U.S. is a pacific nation.  We look forward to deepening our already strong relationship with Kiribati here at the Forum and in November, during the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa.”

She added, “The negotiations leading up to this important moment were extremely cordial, productive, and efficient, and the U.S. team extends its appreciation to Kiribati’s representatives for the manner in which the two negotiating teams were able to work together in a spirit of collaboration.  It was truly a pleasure to work together with Kiribati on this important endeavor.”

President Tong said, “The signing of this Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and my country signify the vital importance of clearly establishing the national limits of jurisdictions under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

05 September 2013, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands - At the occasion of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), European Union Commissioner for Climate Action Mrs Connie Hedegaard and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Director General Dr. Jimmie Rodgers and the Secretary General of the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, Mr Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, have signed the "ACP-EU Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific" programme.

The European Union (EU) will provide 20 million Euro to support the Pacific states in addressing the impacts of climate change and the urgent need to improve resilience to natural disasters.

The high vulnerability of Pacific Island Countries to disaster is well known. This is further exacerbated by their often small land areas as well as their narrow, subsistence based fragile economies. Natural hazards undermine development and the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This Programme responds to these challenges and will strengthen the capacity of the Pacific states to address existing and emerging challenges with regard to the risks posed by natural hazards and related disasters, while maximising synergies between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA).

"For the Pacific people, climate change is not about a distant future. It has become the new normal. This programme will help the Pacific states in their efforts to adapt to this new climate reality. The Pacific states can count on Europe to continue its climate cooperation in the region”, said European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.

22 August 2013 - Secretariat of the Pacific Community - Suva, Fiji - Better preparing communities for cyclones, floods, droughts, and predicted sea level rise is a top priority for many Pacific island nations. The urgency to prepare however, does not justify cutting corners.

Climate change adaptation planning should follow the same national processes as any development, with environmental impact assessments, technical surveys, and cost benefit analyses.

This was the argument Dr. Arthur Webb of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Applied Geo Science and Technology Division (SOPAC) presented to a diverse audience of students, academics and development practitioners at USP Marine Science Campus on Thursday 17th August.

“Nine out of ten communities want a sea wall,” said Dr. Webb, an expert in coastal processes, “but putting concrete over a healthy beach system is an example of maladaptation. It will do more harm than good. Not only will it disrupt the flow of sediments, in many cases increasing erosion, but it’s terrible for tourism.”

Webb displayed examples of maladaptation that had been carried out in the Pacific. In one instance, mangroves were planted on an atoll coastline where they were not naturally occurring.