Kam ne bene n Mauri, Kia orana, Maloelelei, Mogethin, Bula Vinaka, Yokwe, Talofa Lava, Paing kom, Halo Olgeta, Ekamawir Omo, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ranannim, Bonjour, Alii, Mālō ni and Kaselehlie. The Voices of the Ocean peoples are warm, diverse and colourful greetings, speckled like gems across the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific is regarded as one of the most linguistically complex regions on the planet, and combined with its geographical extremes, makes it one of the most challenging to support in relation to early warnings and disaster risk reduction.
According to academics who specialise in Pacific linguistics’, there are almost fourteen hundred distinct languages spoken in the Pacific. The numbers are not exact due to many reasons, including that the cultures of the Pacific Peoples are mostly oral in nature and documented in unorthodox ways, such as songs, dances, carvings, weaving and other art forms.
Another significant reason offered as to why there isn’t an exact number of languages in the Pacific is attributed to the slow erosion of languages which were spoken by just a small number of old people, and now regarded extinct.
Changes in our environment are driving more extreme weather events. Rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, devastating rainfall, storm surges, flooding, deadly droughts, and wildfires are on the rise. Sea levels are increasing, exposing densely populated coastal areas to coastal inundation and ocean wave impacts. The societal effects of these events continue long after the headlines fade.
“We, at SPREP have listened to the call from our Pacific Islands governments and people as they have elevated the importance of their Meteorological Services when it comes to building our Pacific Islands resilience in the face of climate impacts, we feel now, and will continue to feel in the years to come. At the start of 2025 SPREP established the Climate Science and Information programme that heralds our commitment to keeping our Pacific Islands equipped with relevant, accurate and innovative approaches to delivering effective climate and weather services,” said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“This World Met Day we are standing by the theme – working together with you all to close the early warning gap together.”
The Climate Science and Information Programme at SPREP is working actively through its projects and with its members and partners employing a multi-faceted approach to tailoring climate science information for early action.
Some innovative approaches employed by the CSI Programme include working with experts in the disability community to translate common meteorological hazards and terminology into Oceania Sign, engaging youth as critical amplifiers of early warning messages, integrating the insights of traditional knowledge, working with national meteorological services in the Pacific to translate seasonal climate forecasts and delivering training workshops for the meteorological services and stakeholders at the country level via digital and in-person means.
“More than ever, we all need to speak the same language when it comes to early warnings and preparing our Pacific Peoples by equipping them with relevant information,” said Mr. Salesa Nihmei, Officer-in-Charge of the Climate Science and Information Programme at SPREP.
In observing World Meteorological Day on March 23 with the theme “Closing the early warning gap together” which focusses on the Early Warnings for All initiative, we encourage our partners, communities and stakeholders to support the unification of a common language in the Pacific to improve Early Warnings for All."
Happy World Meteorological Day!
Resource: Silent No More – Ocean Sign Videos of Common Pacific Hazards and Meteorological Terms
About CSI Projects
CSI will continue its role to work closely with our members, technical agencies and development partners to uphold the Pacific Meteorological Council and its governance as well as coordinate activities and to ensure that we work towards closing the early warning gap in the region through our projects.
ClimSA - European Union’s Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) implemented by SPREP, the EUR 9 million ClimSA project is dedicated to enhancing the production, accessibility, and application of science-based climate information to empower decision-makers. By providing innovative and collaborative solutions, this initiative will help manage climate-related risks and drive sustainable development across the Pacific.
COSSPac – Australia and New Zealand funded and implemented by SPREP, the Pacific Community, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience Australia, COSPPac is one of the regions most successful partnership programme that is supporting build the regions capacity on Climate and Oceans services while supporting members to preserve our traditional knowledge on weather and climate for more than 20 years.
VanKIRAP - The Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt (VanKIRAP) Project supports climate-resilient development in Vanuatu by equipping decision-makers, communities, and individuals in Vanuatu with the climate information services (CIS) they need to respond to climate variability and change. Target audiences are Vanuatu’s agriculture, fisheries, tourism, infrastructure and water sectors, and the public. The Project is housed at the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD) and jointly managed by VMGD and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with funding from the Green Climate Fund.
WRP – Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) is a Pacific-led decadal programme designed to assist Pacific Island countries and territories to be more resilient to hydro-meteorological and ocean extreme events. It will protect our communities, strengthen security, support national economies and enhance our connectivity. Endorsed by Pacific Leaders, WRP is approved by members as the vehicle to deliver Early Warnings for All. Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom has contributed USD33 Million of the USD191Million programmed. JICA is also contributing to the initiative by building the Regional Training and Instrument Calibration Center in Fiji to support the WRP.
The UKMO Pacific Fund – The Pacific Fund is a programme that supports the operations of the Tuvalu and Kiribati Upper Air operations as part of the Global Upper Air Network (GUAN) for more than 10 years.
PPOA - Pacific Partnership on Ocean Acidification is a programme initially funded by the New Zealand to develop policies and implement activities to support OA at the national level such as coral gardening. Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIOST) has now continued this work to support communications and engagement with stakeholders to elevate OA in the region.
CREWS – Led by WMO, the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) in the Pacific has invested to ensure the policies and legislations of the NMHSs are updated. The programme continue to support the priorities of the region for weather, climate, hydrology, oceans and ensuring inclusivity and communications to communities.
Top image: Figure 2: Ensuring critical information reaches the last mile, the Climate Science and Information Programme engages in community consultation and outreach activities.