Over 50 participants from across 13 different Pacific islands have attended the very first training program using the new launched Pacific Climate Change Centre e-learning platform.
The training on “Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction through Structural Approaches” was held on 8-31 March 2021. It aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to implement actions towards advancing the structural approach for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction such as building codes, civil engineered structures, retrofitting, and sea dikes.
“Our Pacific islands anticipate impacts of climate change including inundation and destruction of human settlements, and therefore actions are urgently needed,” said Ms ‘Ofa Ma’asi-Kaisamy, Manager of the PCCC.
“The structural approach is recognised as the tangible actions to reduce disaster risks and protect human lives and important assets such as houses and agricultural lands.”
The training was comprised of three modules. The first module provided the projected climate change and climate impacts on structures and methodologies to assess the vulnerability of structures. The second module focused on detailed technical and policy options of buildings and coastal structures. The last module was group work and participants developed problem trees and objective trees based on knowledge provided in Module one and two. It led to content being summarised into a logical framework, including outcomes, outputs, activities, and indicators as the core contents of a climate change project.
The new e-learning platform holds all the training-relevant information and tools, such as training materials, discussion forums, quiz, and an online meeting platform, to help improve learning experiences.
“The concept of discussion is very interesting, as participants are allowed to share their experiences and learn from others. I like to read the discussions from other countries as I can learn some information from them. Thank you for creating such an effective way to engage with the participants,” stated a training participant in their evaluation feedback.
The training on “Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction through Structural Approaches” was organised by the “Project for Capacity Building on Climate Resilience in the Pacific” in partnership with the Government of Samoa, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
It was supported by Dr. Jane Romero, an expert in structural engineering from the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility.
A total of 54 participants from 13 Pacific islands, including American Samoa, Cook Islands, FSM, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu, participated in this training program.
For further information on the training programs delivered through the Project for the Capacity Building on Climate Resilience in the Pacific at the Pacific Climate Change Centre, please contact [email protected]