Project Description
FINPAC – climate and disaster ready communities through improved national meteorological services
Introduction
The Finnish-Pacific Project (FINPAC) is a four-year regional project funded by the Government of Finland and coordinated through the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with a range of partners. FINPAC aims to improve livelihoods of Pacific island communities by delivering effective weather, climate and early warning services. The project commenced in 2013 with a total budget of EUR 3.7 million.
The overall long term objective the FINPAC project contributes to is Reduced Vulnerability of Pacific Island Villagers' Livelihoods to the Effects of Climate Change. It will contribute strongly to poverty reduction through greater food and water security, improvements in weather and climate services and early warnings to the most vulnerable groups in the Pacific region.
What will FINPAC do?
There are two key components to FINPAC:
- Providing National Meteorological Services (NMS) with the capacity and tools to deliver and communicate timely weather and climate services in a timely manner to support communities
- Working with communities to strengthen their ability to use and apply meteorological data and information and to develop appropriate plans to address climate change and disasters.
How will FINPAC benefit National Meteorological Services?
- Improved capacity of the NMSs to implement Quality Management Systems for aviation weather services
- Access to lightning location data for severe weather forecasting
- Improved capacity in the development and communication of Climate Services
- Introduction of new weather forecasting and warning products and tools
- Improved standard of selected weather observation stations
How will FINPAC benefit communities?
- Improved monitoring and delivery of weather and climate services at the village level will provide weather and climate information to better inform routine activities such as fishing, agriculture and resource management.
- Changing weather patterns often mean that traditional knowledge (eg for planting and harvesting) becomes less reliable. Accurate weather forecasts can help farmers and fisherfolk make informed decisions regarding planting, harvesting and fishing and thus will enable communities to adapt to climate change.
- More accurate weather information and early warnings will allow for better preparedness to severe weather events
- Weather forecasts are also valuable for implementing preventative measures against diseases such as dengue and cholera.
Who is involved?
- Cook Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Nauru
- Niue
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu and
- Vanuatu
Partners
The FINPAC Project envisions partnerships at all levels with the Pacific Meteorological Desk Partnership (PMDP) providing many of the partnerships at the technical and resource levels with agencies working currently with the National Meteorological Services. The Pacific Meteorological Council and key partners including the Government of Finland through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the World Meteorological Organization, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Australia Bureau of Meteorology and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community collectively contribute to the implementation of project activities. The Project Team is based at the SPREP Headquarters while the focal points at the national level are the National Meteorological Services.
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