12 September 2023, Port Vila – The importance of understanding the role of the media in helping to build resilience in Vanuatu was emphasised during the start of a two-day communications training workshop for staff of the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD).

06 September 2023, Apia – The application and leveraging of digital technologies to address environmental issues was highlighted during a side event at the 31st SPREP Meeting of Officials in Apia, Samoa, on Wednesday.

16 August 2023, Nadi Fiji – A new tailor-made tool which gives the people of Vanuatu the ability to make informed decisions to improve crop resilience based on what is happening in the local climate has been launched by the Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redi, Adapt mo Protekt, (VanKIRAP) project on the margins of the Sixth Pacific Meteorological Council Meeting (PMC-6) in Denarau, Fiji.

OSCAR, which stands for ‘tailOred System of Climate Services for AgRiculture’, exists to improve the delivery of climate information to everyone in Vanuatu, including the Agriculture Sector.

15 August 2023, Nadi Fiji - The sixth Meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-6) and related meetings is an opportunity to call for further support from governments, development partners and donors to ensure that National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the Pacific have the necessary capacity to support sustainable and resilient development.

18 August 2023 - Port Vila, Vanuatu. OSCAR – the ‘tailOred System of Climate services for AgRiculture’ developed by the APEC Climate Centre (APCC) as part of the Vanuatu Climate Information Services for Resilient Development Planning Project (VanKIRAP) was handed over to the Vanuatu Government at an official ceremony held in Port Vila last week.

Most of the time, the Sarakata River in Espiritu Santo is a serene and beautiful waterway. After heavy rainfall, however, it becomes a raging torrent, flooding adjacent populated areas. Although such floods are a natural phenomenon, human-induced climate change is making the rainfall events that cause this flooding more extreme. This is resulting in more severe flooding in the Sarakata River catchment and is leaving adjacent communities more vulnerable in terms of their physical safety, economic stability, and overall development.

With a history of around eight years of providing climate information services in the Pacific Island region, the APEC Climate Center (APCC) has officially become a member of the WMO RA-V Pacific Regional Climate Centre Network (Pacific RCC) node on long-range forecasting.

The Pacific RCC is a virtual Centre of Excellence that assists National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in the Pacific to deliver better climate services and products to meet national climate information and service delivery needs.

21 April 2021, Apia, Samoa – With the Pacific having recently gone through a La Niña event, representatives of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) from across the Pacific, as well as their partners from regional organisations and scientific institutions, came together in a virtual meeting this week.  This saw them reflect on their efforts to help keep people informed during the La Niña, as well as to present and summarise the climate and ocean observations over the last six months, and what the climate outlooks will like for the next six months.

By the Pacific Meteorological Council - Pacific Islands Climate Services (PICS) Panel

Variation in climate has the potential to significantly affect agriculture production and food security in the Pacific region. El Niño and La Niña events can lead to increased risk of drought, floods and heightened tropical cyclone risk, compromising commercial and subsistence food production, impacting gross domestic product and leading to impacts on human health.

The Vanuatu Klaemaet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt (Van KIRAP) project held its third Steering Committee (Van-KIRAP SC-3) Meeting on 28 May 2019 at the Melanesia Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu.