Climate Early Warning Systems Project for Pacific Island States receives India-UN Development Partnership Fund support
June 8, 2017
The project ‘Climate Early Warning System in Pacific Island Countries’ was approved for funding by the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, a brand-new collaboration between the Republic of India and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). The project will increase seven countries’ disaster awareness and preparedness and strengthen their resilience to climate change.
“Nauru like other SIDS continues to grapple with the severe impacts of climate change,” said H.E. Ms. Charmaine Scotty, Minister for Education, for Home Affairs and Land Management, of the Government of the Republic of Nauru. “Any project in the region needs to be designed with disaster risk reduction and adaptation as its primary objectives,” she said, speaking on behalf of the Governments of the Cook Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Nauru, the Solomon Islands and the Kingdom of Tonga.
The project will direct support toward atmospheric and oceanic measurement tools, training of experts, and community education and awareness. It will include installation of equipment to measure variations in precipitation, wind speed, temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure to increase preparedness against natural hazards.
Additional equipment will measure water level, volume, and salt content to inform prevention measures against flooding and over salinization of freshwater resources. The project will additionally train Pacific Small Island Developing States hydrologists and meteorologists at India’s Pune Regional Training Center on how to use the equipment effectively. Local communities will also be sensitized on collection of climate data and responses to information.
This project facilitates national contributions under the Paris Climate Agreement and advances international priorities outlined in the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction, the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP), and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The project was formally announced by Minister M J Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs of India during the launch of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund on World Oceans Day. Key participants included Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation; Hon. Charmaine Scotty, M.P., Minister for Education, for Home Affairs and Land Management, of the Government of the Republic of Nauru; high-level representatives from PSIDS Countries; and participants from UN Agencies including UNDP, UNOSSC, UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, ILO, FAO, WMO, and UNCDF.
About the partners
The India-UN Development Partnership Fund supports Southern-owned and -led, demand-driven, and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world, with a focus on least developed countries and small island developing States.
To learn more about this partnership, please visit the UN Office for South-South Cooperation Website at: https://www.unsouthsouth.org/partner-with-us/india-un-fund/.
The United Nations Development Programme is the UN’s global development organization, advocating for change and connecting the Pacific to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP Office in Fiji covers 10 countries in the Pacific. They include the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji also provides regional support to Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tokelau.