Pacific weather services have raised $34 million of the $200 million sought for the Weather-Ready Pacific programme, Islands Business reported on 2 October. The figures came from Salesa Nihmei, director of the Climate Science and Information Programme at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the region’s inter-governmental environment body, who said Pacific governments are being asked to back a 10-year plan to strengthen national meteorological services from 2027 to 2036.
Key facts
- $34 million raised of $200 million sought for Weather-Ready Pacific, as published by Islands Business.
- The plan to strengthen national meteorological services runs from 2027 to 2036.
- Nihmei said 70 to 80 per cent of government operating funds go to salaries, with utilities taking much of the rest, leaving “probably only 10 percent” for other needs.
- Some Pacific countries cannot produce their own forecasts and rely on Fiji’s regional meteorological centre in Nadi, which issues warnings during tropical cyclones.
- Pacific ministers responsible for meteorology endorsed the One Pacific Meteorology Programme Framework in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
Why it matters for Fiji
Fiji is not a bystander in this programme; it is part of the infrastructure. That puts a specific price on the shortfall. Nadi’s warnings are the trigger for decisions that cost money: whether west-coast resorts shut and move guests, whether cane and crops come in early, whether aircraft and ships clear a cyclone’s track. While the regional programme stays roughly $166 million short of its target, the bill for keeping Nadi’s observation sites, radars and forecast desks running stays where it is now — inside Fiji’s own national budget, competing with health, roads and schools.
The data question turns that into an economic one. The Fiji Crop and Livestock Council has warned that weather data gaps can hold up climate payouts, so an observation network that thins out for want of maintenance money does not only degrade forecasts — it can leave growers waiting on compensation after a storm has already passed.
There is a second-order effect for Fiji too. Nihmei said the aim is to build other countries’ capacity to issue their own forecasts and warnings, which he acknowledged will require extra staffing and government budgets. If that succeeds, Fiji’s regional workload eases; if it stalls, Fiji keeps carrying neighbours on a budget sized for one country.
Budgets squeezed, networks declining
The funding gap sits on top of a day-to-day problem. Once salaries and utility bills are paid, Nihmei said, government operating budgets leave meteorological services with little for equipment, travel and maintenance. “That’s why our networks are declining,” he said, referring to the observation networks that feed forecasts and warnings.
Specialist expertise is scarce as well, he said — radar engineers, professional forecasters and Pacific climate modellers — and turnover compounds it, because staff who are trained then move elsewhere. For Fiji, which hosts the regional centre, that is a retention problem with national consequences rather than a regional abstraction.
Observations and a shared platform
Improving observations is another priority. Nihmei said the region needed good-quality data and was working towards a shared forecasting platform based in Fiji, alongside investment in tools and capacity — an arrangement that would deepen Fiji’s role as the region’s forecasting hub.
Regional work also seeks to connect scientific forecasts with traditional knowledge so communities can act on the information in local terms. Nihmei said the longer-term ambition was that no lives would be lost, and that people would understand technical climate terms such as El Niño.
Who sets the agenda
Nihmei described Weather-Ready Pacific as built around priorities set by the region, with external partners contributing expertise and funding inside that framework — the region setting the agenda, he told Islands Business, and partners coming to fit in. That is the same ownership argument being made further down the chain in Fiji, where villages want to be climate implementers, not spectators in projects designed above them.
The Tonga meetings
Who attended
Mirage News reported that the eighth Pacific Meteorological Council ran from 10 to 14 September, bringing together representatives of 15 Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, with participants from 26 member countries and territories. The council is the region’s principal forum for cooperation among those national services, and this year’s meeting was hosted by the Government of Tonga with SPREP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations weather agency.
Theme and the next decade
Delegates met under the theme “Weather Ready for a Secured and Sustainable Blue Pacific,” took stock of progress under the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy over the past decade and considered a successor strategy for 2027 to 2036 to guide regional investment and cooperation — the same window as the plan Nihmei is asking governments to fund.
‘No community too remote’
Tonga’s Deputy Prime Minister, Viliami Latu, told the meeting that a forecast has little value if it does not reach the farmer, the fisherman, the airline, the school or the family deciding whether to evacuate. “No Pacific Island should be considered too small, and no community too remote, to receive an effective warning,” he said, in remarks carried by Mirage News.
The ministerial declaration
Ministers met on 16 September, hosted by Tonga’s prime minister, who also holds the meteorology portfolio, with SPREP support. They endorsed the One Pacific Meteorology Programme Framework and backed stronger coordination among national, regional and international organisations and development partners, Islands Business reported, calling the adopted declaration a collective expression of political will.
Political will is the one input the region can supply itself. The $166 million still outstanding is not, which is why Nihmei’s pitch to governments and the ministers’ declaration arrive together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the region plan to free up money for equipment and maintenance?
Islands Business reports the region is considering solar power and electric vehicles to cut electricity and fuel costs, so that money can be redirected to other operational needs. Salesa Nihmei of SPREP said a proposal on that approach was being taken to the Pacific Meteorological Council for discussion.
What is the One Pacific Meteorology Programme Framework meant to do?
The ministerial declaration cited by Islands Business says the framework is intended to make investments complementary, use resources efficiently, minimise duplication and build sustainable capabilities within Pacific island countries and territories. Its concept was endorsed in principle at PMC-8, according to the declaration.
What else happened around the Pacific Meteorological Council meeting in Tonga?
Mirage News reports the council meeting was preceded by three days of preparatory events, including expert panel meetings, a Weather-Ready Pacific Liaison Platform and a media training session. Participants also discussed enhancing observations and data and making sure weather and climate information reaches the people who need it most.
What does the World Meteorological Organization say about the new regional strategy?
Ishaam Abader of WMO’s Regional Coordination Office told the Tonga meeting, as reported by Mirage News, that the new strategy’s objectives align closely with WMO priorities. He said strengthening weather, climate and water services is not only about scientific knowledge but about protecting lives, supporting sustainable development and safeguarding livelihoods.
