18 February 2026, Melbourne - The University of Melbourne, in partnership with the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), have launched an innovative programme aimed to improve climate and health outcomes across the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean regions.
Fifteen emerging climate and health leaders from thirteen Pacific and Caribbean countries are participating in the immersive, six-week leadership, capacity development, knowledge exchange and networking Fellowship at the University of Melbourne.
This year’s Fellows have been selected from Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, and Suriname.
The ‘Enhancing climate, energy and health resilience across the Pacific and Caribbean’ programme is co-hosted by Melbourne Climate Futures and the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health in partnership with PCCC, and is funded by a $500,790 grant awarded through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Australia Awards initiative.
SPREP Director General, Mr Sefanaia Nawadra said the Fellowship represents far more than an academic programme.
“It is a powerful example of how innovative, cross-regional partnerships can bring together science, policy, and practice to respond to some of the most pressing challenges of our time - climate change, energy security, and public health resilience,” he said.
“At SPREP, we firmly believe that solutions to these complex challenges require collaboration across institutions and regions. In this regard, I wish to recognise the important role of the Pacific Climate Change Centre, hosted at SPREP, which continues to serve as a regional hub for knowledge exchange, capacity building, innovation and applied research. We are proud of its contribution to the design and delivery of this Fellowship programme in close collaboration with the University of Melbourne.”
While this is the third consecutive round of Australia Awards funding the programme has secured, this is the first round that sees Caribbean fellows represented in its cohort, and its first collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.
“This Fellowship comes at a pivotal time for the Caribbean region,” said Mark Bynoe, PhD, Director of Business Strategy and Regional Coordination, CCCCC.
“We are seeing the growth in waterborne, and heat related illnesses associated with global climate change. Our fellows will gain and expand their knowledge which we hope will be beneficial to the Caribbean region and wider afield.”
The programme will deliver comprehensive specialist training on thematic priority areas including Adaptation considerations in Small Island States, research and practice considerations including effective community engagement and leadership and advocacy to support adaptation and resilience.
It will also cover Policy and programme development to achieve climate-resilient development, pursue green energy and just transitions in Small Island States as well effective knowledge exchange and communication strategies. The practical programme is designed to increase Fellows’ expertise, advancing their efforts to alleviate climate impacts upon returning home.
“The success of the University of Melbourne and PCCC’s Australia Awards Programme is evident, not just in the consistent support granted to it by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but in the wonderful feedback we receive from our Fellows, who continue to collaborate across and foster their climate leadership,” said Kathryn Bowen, Professor of Environment, Climate and Global Health and Deputy Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, University of Melbourne.
“Expanding the Fellowship scope to partner with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre and include Caribbean Fellows provides us with an even greater opportunity to develop climate leadership and outcomes across Small Island States.”
During the Fellowship, each participant will prepare a research output, such as a policy brief, with the support of a local mentor, and will reconvene with their cohort at a workshop led by PCCC in Apia, Samoa three months after the completion of the initial training.
“This will be the third fellowship programme delivered through the partnership between the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) and the University of Melbourne. It is a demonstration of commitment to secure capacity development for climate resilience in the Pacific region and now broadly extended to the Caribbean region. We continue to acknowledge the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs for the opportunity and partnership”.
Mr Fred Siho Patison, Climate Finance Readiness Advisor and PCCC supervising Manager said: “This will be the third fellowship programme delivered through the partnership between the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) and the University of Melbourne.
“It is a demonstration of commitment to secure capacity development for climate resilience in the Pacific region and now broadly extended to the Caribbean region. We continue to acknowledge the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs for the opportunity and partnership”.
Australia Awards are prestigious, transformational scholarships offered to emerging leaders from Small Island States, which provide the opportunity to showcase Australia’s world-class education sector in a globally competitive marketplace.