SPREP

As a result, Pacific islands in the central Pacific region such as Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu may experience below normal rainfall which could lead to drought.

Islands in the South-West Pacific will experience higher than normal rainfall, such Fiji, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Southern Cook Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu which might see flooding, landslides or possibly cyclones.

La Niña is expected to last right through to the first quarter of 2021.

Meteorological officials from around the Pacific are meeting in Honiara this week ahead of a meeting by ministers in charge of met offices.

Kosi Latu said one issue that has been discussed is the need to extend or improve forecasting services to some of the smaller countries such as Tokelau and Niue.

He said these islands will need resources to build capacity which is now more likely given international interest in improving forecasting.

The historic event is targeted towards rallying global action to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) through its Pacific sub-regional office are partnering together to implement several different initiatives to support Pacific island countries as they prepare for the UN Oceans Conference.

Co-hosted by the Governments of Fiji and Sweden, the UN Oceans Conference will be held in New York from 5 to 7 June this year.

The conference will bring together political decision-makers, scientists, community, industry and funders to investigate future legislative and research needs as well as designing innovative ways of cooperating and collaborating.

The conference is a highlight of the two-year campaign to protect Pacific whales led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

Both Secretariats are committed to continue working together in partnership for the conservation of Pacific island wetlands and their ecosystems, which also have an important role in climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Coastal wetlands such as mangroves and coral reefs help to buffer the impacts of climate-related events such as storm surges and cyclones.

Inland wetlands also mitigate the impacts of natural disasters, both floods and droughts.

She will succeed Mr Braulio Ferreira de Souza whose term comes to an end in February next year.

Fourteen Pacific islands are part of the 195+ countries that are parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity,a multilateral environment agreement which aims to conserve biodiversity, ensure sustainable use of the components of biodiversity as well as the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Samoa, and especially to our SPREP campus," said Director General Kosi Latu. "The Australian Government is one of the key donors to SPREP and we are keen to strengthen our bonds through the work we do here at SPREP," he added.

Minister Fierravanti-Wells was pleased to announce two climate change adaptation investments while at SPREP.

On 25 August, 2016 at SPREP's Apia headquarters, representatives from both agencies formally signed the Meeting Minutes related to the formulation of the second phase of the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries, known as J-PRISM II.

The campaign coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with Pacific islands and partners aims to promote the conservation of whales through a range of initiatives and awareness raising activities.

Over two million great whales were killed by industrial whaling fleets in the Twentieth Century, most of them in the Southern Hemisphere, on their summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic Ocean.

This will be submitted to Members for adoption at the annual SPREP meeting in September this year and is expected to come into force in 2017.

The current SPREP Strategic Plan 2011-2015 will continue until the end of this year.

The new Strategic Plan will act as the guiding document for the organisation that provides support to its 21 Pacific island member countries through a range of different activities and partnerships.