24 February 2026, Apia, Samoa - The Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) welcomed the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Dr Akihiko Tanaka, and his delegation to the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) hosted at SPREP, on 24 February 2026.
The visit reinforced a long-standing partnership between the Secretariat and the Government of Japan through JICA. The PCCC, a centre of excellence for climate change action in the Pacific, stands as a testament to Samoa and Japan’s commitment to supporting the region’s climate resilience and environmental protection efforts.
“This is a very important focal point for our cooperation as we address climate change and many other environmental issues, and JICA considers these challenges in the Pacific to be very serious”.
“We must continue to strengthen our partnership with SPREP, both as a regional organisation and through the Centre”, said Dr Tanaka.
At the Twenty First SPREP Meeting of Officials in Apia, Samoa in 2011, Members called for a Pacific owned Climate Change Centre, dedicated to climate change information, capacity building, research and innovation.
The Government of Japan through JICA answered the call with a commitment made at PALM-7 (Japan-Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting) where former Prime Minster of Japan, H.E. Mr Shinzo Abe declared Japan's intention to provide comprehensive assistance, in collaboration with SPREP, including the development of the PCCC and capacity building to support the efforts of tackling climate change by the Pacific region as a whole.
The Centre was established as a partnership between the Governments of Japan and Samoa and funded under grant aid by JICA through the Government of Samoa as the host country for SPREP. Officially opening in 2019, during the Twenty Ninth SPREP Meeting, JICA has since dispatched several experts to assist with the operationalisation of the functions of the Centre.
To date, the PCCC has delivered multiple training programmes for capacity building in climate resilience, undertaken mentoring programmes for Members and built its innovation and research functions.
SPREP Director General Sefanaia Nawadra at the visit delivered a presentation on the work of the Secretariat and key functions under the Centre and its projects, as well as the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries (J-PRISM).
He further expressed his gratitude to the president and JICA for the support provided to the Pacific region over the years through SPREP.
SPREP and JICA’s long-standing partnership dates back to 2000 through a commitment by the Government of Japan at PALM-2 where the Agency started assisting Pacific Island Countries in solid waste management in collaboration with SPREP.
Established at a time when waste became a major concern for the Pacific, the partnership grew with the development of J-PRISM, which has successfully completed Phases 1 and 2, with Phase 3 in current implementation. J-PRISM has since strengthened independent solid waste management across the region through improving human resource, institutional and financial capacity.
“We are grateful for the programmatic approach JICA takes, as we have seen with J-PRISM, this ensures the long-term sustainability of work undertaken in the region, not just for waste management but climate change”, said Mr Nawadra.
The visit concluded with a tour of the Pacific Climate Change Centre