23 February 2026, Apia, Samoa - The Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) hosted at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme convened its biannual Advisory Board Meeting on 11 February 2026.
The Chair of the Advisory Board, Ms. Matilda Bartley of the Samoa Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) opened the meeting by acknowledging the role of the PCCC as a mechanism to address climate change through collaboration and partnerships delivering transformative initiatives across the Pacific.
She reiterated the importance of a shared commitment between Member countries and development partners in ensuring long-term financial and operational sustainability of the Centre to fulfil its key services and address the climate change challenges in the Pacific. This is achieved through long term programmatic funding to the Centre and continuous efforts to support its legacy initiatives, as well as through the Pacific Innovative Climate Investment hub, nontraditional sources and new partners, including philanthropy and the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships.
SPREP Acting Director General, Ms. Easter Chu Shing echoed the Chair’s remarks by acknowledging some of the key highlights of the PCCC’s work as it celebrated its fifth year anniversary in 2025. She commended the Centre’s efforts in securing a AUD4.8 million from Wellcome Trust for the Pacific Action to Enhance the Visibility of Evidence on Health and Climate Impacts in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and as well as a successful bid for the third round of the Australia Awards Fellowship Program, a partnership with the University of Melbourne and Climate Catch-Lab, secured over half a million dollars from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to enhance climate, energy and health resilience across the Pacific and Caribbean.
Notably at the 32nd SPREP Meeting in Samoa in September 2025, the PCCC officially launched its virtual platform: The Pacific Climate Change Innovation Lounge. The SPREP Meeting also approved the Pacific Climate Change Research Roadmap 2025 - 2030 and noted progress on the PCCC’s Strategy and Business Plan 2025–2030.
The PCCC Advisory Board also reviewed the July- December 2025 progress reports for the Centre’s projects and outlined the way forward for the year through the PCCC Workplan 2026. Key activities in the workplan include the completion of the DFAT Project Final Review in April, the Pacific Innovation Forum on Climate and Environment (PIFCE) in Vanuatu 1-3 July, and the Fifth Pacific Ocean Pacific Climate Change Conference (POPCCC) in Solomon Islands, 14 September. The Board also acknowledged the continued commitments of the donor community for the PCCC, the Governments of Samoa and Japan and additional funding from the Governments of New Zealand and Australia
The Advisory Board meeting was attended by representatives from the PCCC’s key partners which includes Mr. Levu Antlafo (Chair of the Pacific Meteorological Council), Asakuma Yumiko-san (Resident Representative of JICA Samoa Office), Ms. Rachel Chisholm (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand), Ms. Jennifer King (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia), Dr Kathryn Bowen (Deputy Director of the Climate Futures, University of Melbourne), Ms. Lealaisalanoa Frances Reupena (CEO, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa). The next meeting is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.
The Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) is the regional Centre of excellence for climate change information, research, capacity building, and innovation, hosted at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Apia, Samoa. As a Centre of excellence, the PCCC is mandated to provide practical information, support, and training to address the adaptation and mitigation priorities of Pacific Island communities.
The PCCC is underpinned by strong partnerships with Pacific Governments, applied research institutions, donors, civil society, and the private sector. The PCCC is a partnership between the Governments of Japan and Samoa. It is funded under grant aid through JICA for Samoa as the host country of SPREP. Additionally, the Centre receives generous funding and support from the Governments of New Zealand and Australia.
For more information please contact sprep@sprep.org