Better resilience outcomes for 60% of Vanuatu’s population is a result of enhanced climate information and technology infrastructure.
The enhanced Vanuatu Climate update (VCU), Monthly Climate Summary and the Early Alert Rainfall Watch are tailored climate products that are circulated every month by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department (VMGD) to targeted development sectors: tourism; agriculture; infrastructure; water and fisheries.
The Climate Division, VMGD is responsible for developing and producing these climate products and supported by the Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt (Van-KIRAP) project towards the standardised and mainstreamed use of science based climate information, at multiple timescales, to support resilient development pathways. This is achieved by disseminating the information through innovative ways and modes to reach the last mile, and taken up by to support resilience interventions by all focus groups within Vanuatu’s population.
VMGD has adopted a number of ways in which this information are disseminated to users. So therefore this are some ways we carry out the outreach activities every month to the stakeholders, general public and also right down to the community level.
In May, the VCU alone reached more than 210 people through email, amongst that 210 individual there are Influencing and Networking officers who also have their own network setup that every time they receive this product they extend the email distribution by forwarding through their networks.
“Resilience today comes from sharing of timely information that suits our audience and that is exactly what we the Vanuatu Climate Action Network is doing, sharing the monthly climate updates (eg VCU, Monthly Climate Summary) through our mailing list, we encourage VMDG climate division to keep sending us the improved monthly weather updates, it is very useful for stakeholders and network members planning” George Koran, PACCCIL Influencing Officer.
VMGD also targets the general public at large by posting the climate information products on social media (Van KIRAP Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VanKIRAP/), believing that most people will see this climate product since the Vanuatu leading percentage of social media come from Facebook (66.91%). Low-cost but high impact mode in which the new climate information reach the remote communities in Efate island as a pilot is through the use of more than 20 community and school notice boards. The information is refreshed on a monthly basis and presented to climate competent community climate champions or a community leaders who relays the information to the rest of the community members in village, school or church meetings.
VMGD provides technical support to community climate champions by providing a product briefing to them is done before pasting the product or handing the product to the community leaders and also not forgetting the monthly climate briefing held in the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department conference room. “Information rise our consciousness to predict the future” Willy Missack. VACN/VHT Coordinator
These outreach activities were coordinated by Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards department through the Climate division with the support of the Van-KIRAP team.