Weather Ready Pacific Programme (WRPP) and the United Nations Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) have signed a collaboration agreement to bolster their existing partnership which works to maximize support to Pacific countries to support them in achieving their national priorities in the context of the Blue Pacific Strategy 2050.
Partnership parameters
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 assess and prioritize 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 between partners.
At the signing, the partners highlighted that the Pacific region’s national meteorological and hydrological services are pivotal to both local and global forecasting. SOFF and partners are therefore 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, SOFF and WRP will together 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 Early Warnings For All initiative.
Project goals
“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 Sefanaia Nawadra, director general of Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP).
“Urgently needed stepped-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,” said Markus Repnik, director of the SOFF Secretariat.
“We know this agreement will help promote regional coordination and enhance efficiency as we continue to advocate for increased investment in our work,” said Misaeli Funaki, director of the Fiji Meteorological Service and chair of the Weather Ready Pacific steering committee.
In related news, SOFF recently invested US$7.8m to help Mozambique achieve Early Warnings for All by 2028. Click here to read the full story.