The Ministry of Finance’s Bureau of Budget and Planning, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund-United Nations Environment Programme (GCF-UNEP) initiatives, APEC Climate Center (APCC) and Korea’s Ewha Women’s University, successfully organized a stakeholder consultation meeting at the National Emergency Operations Center in partnership with the National Emergency Committee (NEC). The meeting focused on strengthening weather and climate information and knowledge services for resilience in Pacific Island nations and brought together experts from various sectors.
Pacific Island nations, including Palau face significant vulnerabilities to climate change impacts. Factors such as exposure to natural hazards, limited coping capacities, and lack of awareness of climate data contribute to their vulnerability. These impending weather and climate related challenges with lack of knowledge and information and its cascading effects to the Palauan community were main points of discussions between the Bureau of Budget and Planning, APCC, and the NEC. Driven by the shared goal of enhancing climate information and resilience, the APCC and Ewha Women’s University teams presented their expertise in monthly and seasonal weather and climate prediction and effective dissemination of weather and climate information, while the NEC highlighted the importance of governance, preparedness, and early warning measures.
In addition, the stakeholders recognized the constraints faced by the Palau Weather Services Office (WSO) in terms of human, financial, and technical resources, limiting the utilization of climate information for decision-making and planning. The NEC and APCC reaffirmed their commitment to addressing these limitations by strengthening resources and improving communication systems in the Palauan community.
The collaboration between the Bureau of Budget and Planning, APCC, and the NEC marks a significant step towards building climate resilience in the Pacific Island nations. By leveraging their collective expertise and resources, they aim to empower communities to better respond to climate-related risks and develop sustainable solutions.
The meeting saw the active participation of esteemed members from the National Emergency Committee (NEC), including Vice President J. Uduch Sengebau Senior, serving as the NEC Chairperson, and Minister Charles Obichang, serving as the NEC Vice-Chairperson. Their presence and valuable insights further enriched the discussions and underscored the commitment of the NEC in strengthening climate resilience in the Pacific Island nations. The meeting was also attended by key participants from APCC, including Dr. Jinho Yoo, Director of the International Collaboration Project and Principal Investigator/Meteorologist, Dr. Jeongmin Han, Researcher/Computer Scientist, and Ms. Hyejin Lee, Project Manager. Representing Ewha Women’s University were Professor Yongsang Choi, Team Leader Atmospheric Physics/Meteorologist, Ms. Heejin Park, App Design Engineer, Ms. Ihwayon Choi, Satellite Algorithm Developer, and Mr. Yongjun An, Project Manager. Their expertise and contributions greatly enriched the discussions and fostered fruitful collaboration in addressing climate resilience challenges.