MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS, METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND TRANSPORT RO FILIPE TUISAWAU’S SPEECH AT THE THIRD PACIFIC METEOROLOGICAL MINISTERIAL MEETING

Ministers responsible for Meteorology and Hydrology from around the Pacific
Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General, The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) 
Professor Petteri Taalas, Secretary General, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 
Representatives of Governments in the Pacific
Distinguished guests
Members of the press
Ladies and Gentlemen
Bula vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
 
It is an honour and a great pleasure to be part of the Third Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology (PMMM-3).
 
On behalf of the Fiji Government, Prime Minister and the Fijian people, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to our friendly islands, and I must say that we are honoured with the opportunity to host this very auspicious event.
 
At the outset, it is fitting to acknowledge the support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Environmental Programme (SPREP), the European Union funded Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) program, the Australian DFAT funded Climate and Oceans Support program for the Pacific (COSPPac) and other partners.
 
Today marks the 8^th year since the inception of the first Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology.
 
It is no exaggeration to say that climate change presents the greatest threat to us all, especially our Small Island Developing States.

We cannot be complacent and the Fiji government is committed to ensuring that we effectively play our role in providing people-centred early warning information to you all, especially from our regional specialized meteorological centre (RSMC) here in Nadi.

We stand ready as incoming Government to work with you all in sustaining our end-to-end early warning system, strengthen the infrastructure, capacity and resources needed.

I note with appreciation the works done on the Weather Ready Pacific Decadal program which is a significant progress for us. We do look forward to the formulation and implementation of the infrastructure behind this program.
We do look forward to the full implementation of this as it improve our early warning system.
 
I also would like to add a few key points in terms of the Meteorological Services and the Government. I wish highlight key points to guide us moving forward.

Firstly is the responsiveness of Government systems which is a key issue that we continue to face. There is a key need for proper needs analysis in terms of the Government programmes, budget and processes in order to respond effectively to the challenges before us in terms of Meteorological Services. How does Government respond efficiently and effectively and adjust internal processes and systems in order to respond to these challenges.

Secondly, climate financing and that is to ensure that our Government system respond and are geared to take advantage of climate financing opportunities. This is a critical area for us as leaders to look into this and work with our officials to maximise the benefits. A question we need to ask is the climate financing infrastructure responding effectively to our Small Island Developing State needs.

Finally, there is also a need for us to relook at what economic development and economic growth constitutes as we move forward. We are all aware that industrialisation is a major contributing factor to climate change.

In closing I would like to encourage us all to optimize the use of this opportunity. This is not just a meeting. It is an occasion that we can use as colleagues and friends to identify ways that our respective countries and this Blue Pacific region can strengthen our resilience to the various hazards and associated risks that we face. I want to encourage all of us to capitalize, for example, on the interaction that we will have later this morning with our partners. We are grateful for their presence and commitment to support our efforts. I am looking forward to the interaction and sharing with them. 
Vinaka Vakalevu, Thank you and God Bless us All.