Monday 24 March 2025, Alofi, Niue – Only a handful of countries in the Pacific have legislation in place that allows its National Meteorological Services to collect traditional knowledge data and information for use in climate and weather forecasting. This was revealed during a mapping exercise and discussions held during the third day of the Regional Peer-to-Peer Learning on Integrating Traditional Knowledge and Gender into Climate Early Warning Systems.
The lack of legislation and polices was one of the challenges identified by the representatives from the 11 participating Pacific island countries who are gathered in Niue this week. They conducted a significant mapping exercise aimed at determining the status and progress of their traditional knowledge programmes, and how far along they are in terms of integrating traditional knowledge into their climate forecasts.
The collaborative and interactive exercise and discussions, facilitated by the Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac) Phase 3 project implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), sets the scene for the remainder of the week, which will see the participants dissect and share experiences on traditional knowledge procedures and processes, data collection, storage, and monitoring.
The mapping exercise showed that while some countries are still in the early stages of their traditional knowledge projects, other countries such as Niue, Tonga, and Vanuatu are leading the way in the region and have made significant progress, having already passed legislations and policies that govern the collection, storage, and use of traditional knowledge data and information, and giving powers to their National Meteorological Services to also collect and use traditional knowledge data for their forecasting.
“The purpose of this exercise was for the countries to evaluate their traditional knowledge activities and see how other Pacific island countries have progressed with theirs,” said Ms. Siosinamele Lui, COSPPac 3 Traditional Knowledge Adviser.
“It was also an opportunity for them to share with their peers what they’re currently doing, their lessons learned, and any challenges and opportunities they may have encountered to get to where they are today,” says Ms. Siosinamele Lui, COSPPac 3 Traditional Knowledge Adviser.
“Not all countries are the same – each country is at a different stage of their traditional knowledge projects. We want the participating countries to learn from each how, understand the importance of having polices and legislations to guide the collection , analysis and integration of traditional knowledge indicators of weather climate and natural hazards ,” she added.
Ms. Glenda Pakoa of Vanuatu, presented that the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expression Act No. 21 of 2019 covers all traditional knowledge, while the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Act specifically covers weather, climate, and traditional knowledge forecasting in Vanuatu.
As part of the mapping exercise, countries also identified gaps and opportunities that exist which can help them integrate. In some cases, such as Fiji and Kiribati, there is legislation that governs traditional knowledge data and information, but the legislation does not include or extend to the National Meteorological Service.
Ms. Arieta Baleisolomone of Fiji stated that she hopes there is a possibility for a review of the Bill or an establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding to include the National Met Service in data collection from a weather and climate lens.
Countries such as the Cook Islands are currently working on developing legislation on traditional knowledge, while others such as Federated States of Micronesia face their own unique challenges as the Weather Service Office does not come under the National governments, but rather under the United States of America’s National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Joint Regional Peer-to-Peer Learning on Integrating Traditional Knowledge and Gender into Climate Early Warning Systems is being held in Alofi, Niue from 21 – 28 March 2025. It is jointly hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme through the Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac) Phase 3 Project and the United Nations Environment Programme’s Enhancing Climate Information and Knowledge Services for resilience in the 5 island countries of the Pacific Ocean (UNEP CIS-Pac 5) Programme.
The Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific Phase 3 (COSPPac 3) project is a four-year project funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Government of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), which aims to support Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to deliver useful and usable climate and ocean information services to enable all Pacific peoples to remain resilient to the impacts of climate change and disasters. It is jointly implemented by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Geohazards Australia (GA), the Pacific Community (SPC), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
The UNEP CIS-Pac 5 is a USD 49.9 million programme led by UNEP and funded by the Green Climate Fund to establish integrated climate and ocean information systems and a multi-hazard early warning systems in Cook Islands, Niue, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu.
For more information, please contact Ms. Siosinamele Lui at siosinamelel@sprep.org.