Pacific Climate Change Centre to be established in Samoa [1]
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 - 07:05. Updated on Tuesday, November 29, 2016 - 11:44.
A new Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), jointly funded by the Governments of Japan and Samoa as well as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) will be based in Apia, Samoa and ready by 2018 to address climate change challenges in the region.
Construction for the centre is expected to start in June 2017 and completed in July 2018. The climate hub will be shared regionally for Pacific Island countries and territories climate change work programmes.
The PCCC is in line with progress made worldwide with the Paris Agreement entering into force on 4 November and the amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) usage and production to prevent a 0.5 °C rise in temperature by the end of the century.
SPREP Director General, Mr Kosi Latu said SPREP is pleased with the historical global agreements.
“We congratulate and commend all who have come together in unity to bring about these historical global agreements. The spirit of partnership is truly alive and for our Pacific islands that are feeling firsthand the brunt of the effects of climate change, these strides will greatly contribute to their survival.”
“SPREP has worked closely with key partners to support our Pacific islands that work tirelessly in negotiations to bring about these landmark agreements,” he said.
“How these are implemented should result in work programmes both at national and regional levels for which SPREP will continue to work with our members and partners to bring about concrete actions.”
Mr Latu added that a small steering committee consisting of members and regional intergovernmental organisations will be set up to drive consultation within the Pacific region for the PCCC.
“The committee will engage with the Pacific Island Leaders mandated working group process on the Pacific Resilience Partnership to implement the endorsed Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific,” he said.
SPREP Member countries that have signed and deposited their instruments of ratification to the Paris Agreement are the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America, and Vanuatu.