Strengthening Weather and Climate Data and Resilience in the Pacific
Weather Ready Pacific Programme (WRPP) and the United Nations Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) are two complimentary funding mechanisms maximising support to Pacific countries to achieve their national priorities in the context of the Blue Pacific Strategy 2050. WRPP and SOFF signed an agreement on collaboration and complementarity to bolster this partnership on the margins of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“Working in partnership to strengthen the entire meteorological value chain, we look forward to the benefits from this reaching our Pacific Islands communities, keeping them safer and building our Pacific Resilience in the face of climate change impacts,” said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP.
“Urgently needed steeped up adaptation efforts require high quality weather forecasts and climate prediction to be available everywhere. SOFF investments support countries to generate and internationally exchange basic weather and climate observations that provide the foundation for effective, efficient, and timely action in the face of climate change,” says Mr Markus Repnik, Director of the SOFF Secretariat.
Weather Ready Pacific ensures that Pacific countries and communities benefit from advances in forecast and warning systems. SOFF is providing long-term, grant based finance by investing in infrastructure and enhancing the capacity of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS). Country Hydromet Diagnostics are conducted to assess and prioritise NMHS capacity-building investments.
At the fund level, SOFF and WRP teams will meet twice a year to explore complementarities and drive coordination. At the national level, SOFF Implementing Entities and peer advisors are encouraged to align efforts with WRP, SPREP, and other regional initiatives. Regular Pacific Meteorological Council meetings will ensure progress is monitored and shared across partners.
“We know this agreement across us will help promote regional coordination and enhance efficiency as we continue to advocate for increased investment in our work,” said Mr Misaeli Funaki, Director Fiji Meteorological Service and Chair of the Weather Ready Pacific Steering Committee.
The Pacific region’s NMHSs are pivotal to both local and global forecasting. SOFF and partners are committed to advocating for strengthened NMHS capacity at global events, including the Conferences of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Additionally, together SOFF and WRP will highlight the importance of closing Global Basic Observing Network compliance gaps to improve forecast systems worldwide. SOFF Implementing Entities are encouraged to leverage resources for integrated and comprehensive support packages.
Together, these efforts underscore a long-term commitment to building climate resilience and delivering life-saving early warnings in the Pacific, underpinning the UN #EarlyWarningsForAll initiative.
Celeste Saulo (Secretary-General World Meteorological Organization, Co-Chair SOFF Steering Committee), Misaeli Funaki (Director Fiji Meteorological Service, Chair WRPP Steering Committee) and Sefanaia Nawadra (Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP)) signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
About
The Weather Ready Pacific is an initiative through the Pacific Meteorological Council and was endorsed by Pacific Islands leaders in 2021. In 2023, the decadal program of investment was listed as a partnership of priority under the Pacific Partnerships for Prosperity initiative endorsed at the Fifty-Second Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in the Cook Islands. It is a vehicle for implementing the Early Warnings for All initiative.
Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) is a UN specialized fund co-created by WMO, UNDP and UNEP to close the climate and weather observations data gap in countries with the most severe shortfalls in observations, prioritizing Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and SIDS. SOFF provides long term financial and technical assistance to support the acquisition and international sharing of basic weather and climate observations, according to the internationally agreed Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) regulations. SOFF is a foundational element and delivery vehicle of the UN Early Warnings for All Initiative.
The Early Warnings for All initiative was launched by the UN Secretary-General in November 2022 at the COP27. It is a groundbreaking initiative to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from hazardous weather, water, or climate events through life-saving early warning systems by. Early Warnings for All is built on four pillars led by UNDRR, WMO, ITU and IFRC respectively. Implementing partners include FAO, OCHA, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, REAP, and WFP, among other partners. SOFF and CREWS are delivery vehicles of this initiative.
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