Pacific meteorological leaders meet in Honiara to draft a new regional climate and weather strategy to 2036
Honiara, Solomon Islands – 28 May 2026 – Directors of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) from across the Pacific have gathered in Honiara this week for a major regional workshop reviewing the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy (PIMS) 2017–2026 and beginning work on a successor strategy that will guide the region through to 2036.
The PIMS Review and Drafting Workshop, held from 26–30 May at the Heritage Park Hotel, has brought together meteorological directors alongside representatives from regional and international organisations including the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Pacific Disability Forum, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the Pacific Community (SPC), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Development partners and technical agencies are also participating in the discussions.
The workshop is funded by the European Union through the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) Programme, while the review process is being led by international consultancy firm Varysian Limited.
The current PIMS framework, structured around eleven Performance Key Outcomes (PKOs), has served as the Pacific’s main regional strategy for strengthening weather, climate, water, and ocean services across 25 Pacific Island countries and territories over the past decade. As the strategy nears its final year, delegates are now working to determine the priorities and direction for the next ten years.
An independent desk review evaluation completed by Varysian Limited in May 2026 has provided the foundation for workshop discussions. The review assessed regional programmes, projects, and coordination mechanisms that supported implementation of PIMS from 2017 to 2026.
The evaluation found that the strategy has been successful in strengthening regional cooperation and improving services such as multi-hazard early warning systems, climate services, ocean-climate information, observational infrastructure, and technical collaboration. Major regional initiatives including Weather Ready Pacific (WRP), the Climate and Oceans Support Program for the Pacific (COSPPac), ClimSA Pacific, and CREWS Pacific were highlighted as key contributors to progress across the sector.
However, the review also identified several ongoing challenges. Hydrological services were found to be less developed than meteorology and climate services in many Pacific countries. Concerns were also raised over staffing, operational financing, maintenance capacity, institutional sustainability, and the uneven delivery of services to communities and sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and health.
The evaluation further noted that many programmes continue to operate under separate governance and reporting arrangements, limiting the effectiveness of a unified regional framework. It concluded that the next strategy should evolve into a more results-driven operational framework with stronger accountability, implementation tracking, and measurable outcomes.
During the workshop, participants are reviewing the existing PKOs, examining findings from regional stakeholder consultations conducted earlier this year, and drafting the framework for the proposed PIMS 2027–2036 strategy. Technical sessions are also focusing on implementation planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation systems, sustainability measures, and resource mobilisation.
Opening the workshop, Solomon Islands Deputy Secretary Technical for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Agnetha Vare Karamui, encouraged delegates to approach the process with urgency and ambition.
“We are not here merely to edit a document; we are here to architect the future of the Blue Pacific Continent,” Ms. Karamui said. “Let us work with the urgency that our climate reality demands and the solidarity that our Pacific culture provides.”
A dedicated communications and outreach session is also addressing the challenge of improving the delivery of weather and climate information to remote and vulnerable communities across the Pacific region.
The successor strategy is expected to align closely with the WMO and SPREP Strategic Plans, the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific, Weather Ready Pacific, and the global Early Warnings for All initiative.
Pacific Meteorological Council Chair Levu Antfalo said the strategy must reflect the realities faced by Pacific island nations.
“Our goal is to build the institutional resilience and service quality that our Pacific communities deserve. The strategy we draft here must reflect the unique vulnerabilities of our dispersed island nations and the technical needs of individual services,” Mr. Antfalo said.
The draft strategy developed in Honiara will undergo further regional consultation before being presented for endorsement at the 8th Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-8) in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
The workshop represents a broader regional push to move beyond fragmented project-based approaches toward a more coordinated and investment-focused system for weather, climate, water, ocean, and early warning services across the Blue Pacific.
PRESS RELEASE
