4th MEETING OF THE PACIFIC METEOROLOGICAL COUNCIL (PMC-4)

(The Concept Note in PDF for the PMC-4 can be downloaded here)

FINAL PMC-4 REPORT can be downloaded here

The Government of the Solomon Islands through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology (MECCDM) is the host of the Fourth meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-4) and the Second Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology (PMMM-2) in Honiara from 14 to 18 August 2017. The meeting will bring together PMC’s members[1], cabinet ministers responsible for meteorology and senior government’s officials from SPREP member countries and development partners, Council of the Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP), United Nations’ agencies, collaborating organizations and institutions to discuss, promote and explore opportunities to strengthen weather, climate, water and ocean services in the context of sustainable development. 

Globally, 90 per cent of natural disasters are caused by weather and climate related hazards. In the Pacific, majority of hazards are weather and climate related. According to a World Bank report, the PICTs rank among the most vulnerable in the world to natural disasters. Cyclones accounted for 76 per cent of reported disasters from 1950 to 2004 followed by earthquakes, droughts and floods. There is strong evidence, both globally and in the Pacific, on an increase in the observed intensity of weather and climate related hazards and the frequency of more intense events.

Weather, climate, water and ocean (hydro-meteorological and ocean) services are essential components in national and regional sustainable development framework in the Pacific, particularly in poverty reduction efforts, climate change and disaster risk reduction.

The Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), CROP organisations, development partners, collaborating organizations and institutions take enormous pride in their contributions to sustainable development of the PICTs they have made to date. This meeting will assist with the coordination efforts of the NMHSs and partners to ensure that gaps in delivering appropriate and timely information to save lives are discussed and addressed.

 

Venue and Dates of PMC-4 and PMMM-2

The PMC-4 will be held at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Forum Agency Regional Conference Centre in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from the 14 to 17 August, 2017, which also includes the Donor and Partner Roundtable Meeting on 17 of August, 2017, and concluding with the second PMMM-2 on the 18 of August, 2017.

 

The Theme of PMC-4 

The theme for the 2017 PMC-4 is "Sustainable Weather, Climate, Ocean and Water Services for a Resilient Pacific"

 

General Approach to the PMC-4:

There will be an officials meeting (4 days) of the PMC, which also includes the Donor and Partner Roundtable Meeting followed by a 1 day ministerial meeting.  The PMC-4 will be held from 14-17 May.  Members of the PMC are the Heads of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of the SPREP members countries. The collaborating organizations and institutions, CROPs, technical partners’ agencies, and donors will participate as observers providing advice and guidance to PMC members. The meeting will discuss various strategic issues at the national and regional level. A donor and partner roundtable meeting is also scheduled for Thursday the 17th of August 2017 to provide an opportunity for NMHS, donors and partners to discuss programs and their support to the climate resilient of pacific communities. The program structure is being arranged according to the goals and objectives of the PMC Panels which focus on the priority areas of climate services, aviation services, education, training and research, marine and ocean services, communication and infrastructure services.

 

The PMC Expert Panels are;

1. Pacific Islands Climate Services (PICS) Panel which is responsible for providing technical advice to the PMC on matters related to the implementation of GFCS and the strengthening and coordinating of climate services at the community, national and regional levels. 
2. Pacific Islands Aviation Weather Services (PIAWS) Panel is responsible for providing technical advice to PMC on matters relating to aeronautical meteorological services including cost recovery, quality management and competency standards.
3. The Pacific Islands Marine and Ocean Services (PIMOS) Panel is responsible for providing technical advice to the PMC on matters related to marine and ocean services, with an emphasis on oceanography and marine meteorology, to strengthen coastal multi-hazard early warning systems (Coastal MHEWS), national preparedness and maritime safety support mechanisms at the national and regional level, as prescribed in the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy and other international and regional frameworks.
4. The Pacific Islands Education, Training, and Research (PIETR) Panel is responsible preparing technical advice and recommendations for PMC consideration related to education, training, research and human capacity development requirements in meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and oceanography. The focus is in particular on those requirements that will enable the Pacific Island Countries to benefit from improvements in the development and delivery of weather, climate, water, tsunami, marine and oceans information and services including alerts and warnings in the Pacific region.
5. The Pacific Islands Communications and Infrastructure (PICI) Panel is responsible providing technical advice to the PMC on matters related to weather infrastructure and communications for dissemination of national and regional hydro-meteorological and oceanographic/tsunami (seismic and sea level) observations, forecasts, and warnings, and to strengthen national and regional multi-hazard early warning and prediction for high impact severe weather, tropical cyclone, marine, and tsunami events, and carry out work on implementation.  The PICI Panel will review gaps and challenges in promoting the importance of the timely delivery of warnings and alerts for the successful operations of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWSs) and Multi-Hazard Information Systems (MHISs), as prescribed in the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy a (PIMS) and other international and regional frameworks.

There are opportunities for related side events during lunch or evening. Space will also be provided for posters and displays. This opportunity is available for both PMC members and observers. Requests can be made to the Pacific Met Desk Partnership (WMO and SPREP) to pmdp at sprep dot org and the PMC-4 Steering Committee will discuss and approve each event.

 

The objectives of the PMC-4 are to:

1. Continue to facilitate coordination, networking, sharing of information and discussions among PMC's members, development partners, CROP agencies, United Nations’ agencies, collaborating organisations and institutions on current status and advancement of weather, climate, water and ocean services in support of national development and a resilient Pacific;
2. Discuss the contribution of the NMHSs in implementing the Framework for Resilient Development, the Sendai Framework (FRDP), the for  Sustainable Development Goals and other global and regional strategic strategies
3. Review the progress in the implementation of the “Nuku’alofa Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific” through the PMC Panels;
4. Review the finding of the Pacific Island Meteorological Strategy (PIMS) 2012-2021 mid-term review
5. Discuss strategic way forward for sustainable weather, climate, water, and ocean services, in the context of the PIMS, and the new Pacific Roadmap for Strengthened Climate Services (PRSCS) and resources mobilization during the PMC and the partner and donor roundtable meeting
6. Provide an opportunity for NMHS, donors and partners to discuss programs and their support to the climate resilient of pacific communities.

 

Expected Outcomes of PMC-4 

The expected outcomes of the PMC-4 meeting are:

1. Awareness of the shared progress and issues since PMC-3 and PMMM-1; 
2. Strengthened partnership and networking with development partners, CROP organisations, collaborating organisations and institutions;
3. Increased awareness of potential direct access to financial resources by PICTs for development and advancement of weather, climate, water and ocean services;
4. Clear linkages provided on how the NMHSs can contribute towards implementing the various strategic priorities outlined in the FRDP and other relevant strategies
5. Endorsement of the reviewed PIMS and the PIRCS, and other similar documents if required by PMC’s members;
6. Updates provided from the PMC Panels (PICS, PIAWS, PIMOS, PIETR, PICI) on progress of their works and directions for future works of PMC in the development of weather, climate, water, and ocean services.
7. Guidance and contribution provided for the agenda of the PMMM-2 on 18 August 2017.

 

[1] PMC members – Directors/Heads of Meteorological Services of SPREP’s members