14 July 2025, Suva, Fiji - Directors of National Meteorological Services and representatives from training institutions across the Pacific gathered this week at the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Training Institutions Workshop and PIETR Panel Meeting to take an historic step toward building a resilient Pacific through the development of a regional hydro-meteorological training capability for the Pacific to be housed within the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS).
The workshop builds on the momentum established since the 2015 Nuku’alofa Meteorological Ministers Declaration, where Pacific Ministers formally called for the establishment of a Regional Training Centre (RTC) to meet the education and workforce development needs of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the Pacific. Since then, efforts have advanced significantly, including a 2018 UNDP-supported feasibility study and the joint proposal by FMS and the University of the South Pacific (USP), which was presented to the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC) in 2019.
Today, those efforts are culminating in the planned establishment of a World Meteorological Organization (WMO)-accredited Regional Training Centre and Regional Instruments Centre in Nadi, Fiji, slated to open in 2027 with funding support from JICA of an estimated ¥1.79 billion or approximately FJD 27 million.
The RTC is envisioned as a transformative step forward, enabling Pacific nations to build the capacity of Pacific staff to carry out competent weather monitoring activities, produce high quality and timely forecasts and warnings and to maintain meteorological and hydrological infra-structure and assets to ensure high quality data is used and systems are in place for service delivery.
"This convening marks a major milestone, a gathering long in the making, built upon over a decade of collaboration, ambition, and resolve," said Mr. Salesa Nihmei, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme's (SPREP) Climate and Science Information Programme, and speaking on behalf of SPREP and the WRP initiative during the opening of the meeting.
"Capacity building was placed at the heart of the Weather Ready Pacific Decadal Programme of Investment," said Mr. Nihmei, noting that the persistent shortage of trained meteorologists, hydrologists, and technical experts has long hindered the delivery of timely, impact-based forecasts across the region.
"The opening of the RTC in 2027 will not only mark the launch of a building, but the launch of the first WMO Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M) class to be trained in the Pacific, a moment of regional pride and progress," he added.
Over the course of the week, stakeholders will discuss the key gaps in the capacity development and training identified by the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC) and discuss transformational ways to address these gaps. Key areas include meteorological observation, aviation meteorology, operational hydrology, and leadership development.
Special acknowledgment was offered to Professor Dr. Awnish Singh, Interim Director of the Centre for Sustainable Futures of the University of the South Pacific, recognising the institution’s pivotal role not only in advancing regional education, but more importantly its partnership role with the FMS to provide a foundation for a Regional Training Centre for the Pacific.
The workshop also drew inspiration from global best practices. A recent visit to the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), which was established in 1967, highlighted what is possible when regional vision is sustained through partnership and collaboration.
Mr. Misaeli Funaki, Director of the FMS, emphasised in his opening remarks to fellow Directors the importance of their voices being heard as representatives of their respective Met Services. “The responsibility of building capacity does not rest solely with individual nations,” he said. “It is a shared effort involving academic institutions and experts working collaboratively.”
He continued, “I stand here today with the full support and ambition of my government, the Government of Fiji, and to underline the significance of capacity development and training.”
Mr. Funaki reflected on the trust placed in their work by national leaders, driven by a shared vision and determination to achieve real results. He acknowledged the valuable support offered by many organisations present, which has enabled capacity-building opportunities and leadership development within the meteorological field. The demand for such training, he emphasised, remains very high.
The week's agenda consists of a workshop between Meteorological Service Director who are Members of the Pacific Island Educations, Training and Research (PIETR) Panel, an advisory working group to the PMC, and the Regional Training institutions in the Hydro-Met field. The agenda will look to discuss the training gaps and needs of National Hydro-Met Ser-vices, mapping of training services available in the region to address gaps and discus-sion on Governance options for a Pacific Regional Training Centre (RTC), options for RTC operationalisation, partnership opportunities and sustainability. A meeting of the PIETR Panel will be held later in the week to establish a Task Force on the RTC to provide the guidance and advise on activities necessary to establish the Pacific RTC within the FMS.
The meeting is being held at the Fiji Meteorological Service training centre in Suva, Fiji and co-hosted by the Weather Ready Pacific Programme of SPREP and the Government of Fiji. The gathering is attended by 32 participants including Hydo-Met Directors, representatives from Regional Training Institutions, development partners and regional technical partners.