Postcards from the field

As part of the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership’s (Climate Partnership’s) community resilience case study series, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney, Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF) have recently returned from Timor-Leste where they have been documenting insights about a community’s experience in responding to climate and disaster risks and strengthening resilience. The research forms part of the Climate Partnership’s monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) portfolio of work, with community resilience case studies also in the final stages of completion in Fiji and Kiribati.

Researchers from UTS-ISF worked closely with the Partnership to Strengthen Village Development and Municipal Administration (PARTISIPA) in Timor Leste to learn about perceptions and experiences of resilience to climate change and disasters in Morcoluli village in the Manufahi Municipality. PARTISIPA is a 10-year Australian aid program supporting the Government of Timor-Leste to strengthen sub-national infrastructure and governance. Improving the operations and maintenance of rural water is a key priority of the program.

During 19 – 22 March 2024, the research team undertook interviews, focus group discussions and a community workshop with Suku (village) leaders, women, men, youth, people with disabilities and older people in Morcoluli, Manufahi to hear about diverse experiences of climate change, how climate change affects different groups, and ways they each demonstrate resilience. 

Of particular concern to the community were changing seasonal rainfall patterns, which were less predictable and impacting their ability to grow food and their main agricultural product - coffee. Accessing the markets to sell coffee and other products was becoming more challenging due to the poor quality of the road in Morcoluli. Landslides were commonly triggered from increasingly heavy downpours of rain which blocked road access, meaning transporting coffee and other products to the market was at times impossible. Limited access to markets meant unpredictable incomes, which further exacerbates the negative impacts of changing weather patterns on people’s livelihoods. 

Water security over the dry season, which was tending to last longer than it used to, was also a primary concern for people of Morcoluli. Research participants also described the strengths existing in Morcoluli, including their ways of working together and sharing resources during challenging times, and the cultural customs and practices of caring for water, plants and land.

Findings and lessons from the case studies will be shared over the coming weeks which are intended to promote a shared understanding of community resilience, and serve as guidance to the Australian aid program in its design, implementation, and support for community resilience initiatives. 

The Women's Fund Fiji (WFF) began implementation in 2017 as a five-year initiative of the Australian Government’s Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (Pacific Women) program.  The Fund has committed up to AUD10.5 million from 2017 to 2022 to fund and build the capacity of women’s groups, organisations and networks in Fiji to expand and enhance their work on gender justice and human rights. The Fund is committed to advancing climate justice and empowering women and girls focusing on strengthening our work in this vital area. 

Recognising the growing importance of climate resilience and gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) in their grantees' work, the Fund worked with the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (APCP) to identify ways to strengthen their work on climate through training and recommendations to bolster Strategic Focus Area 5 (Climate Justice & Humanitarian Action) across their next strategic plan cycle. 

On behalf of APCP, Talanoa Consulting conducted a focused two-day training for Women's Fund Fiji staff, covering the intersection of climate change, disaster resilience, and GEDSI. The training objectives were to build upon existing knowledge of these interconnected issues and to explore how climate justice and humanitarian actions taken since 2021 align with the WFF strategic plan.

A pre-training evaluation informed the tailored content, which featured eight sessions. These sessions provided in-depth technical information on climate and disaster resilience within the GEDSI context. Additionally, the program explored qualitative and quantitative methods for climate-related data gathering for MERL and reporting. 

Key speakers, including representatives from the Pacific Feminist Fund, Climate Change Division, iTaukei Affairs Board Conservation Unit, and UNDP Small Grants Programme, offered valuable insights into grant applications, climate financing, innovation, and collaborative opportunities. Quizzes and energizers were used to refresh GEDSI knowledge, identify existing nexus work within the Fund, and promote reflection.

The training prompted the Fund to reflect on its role as a resource mobilizer and explore how to integrate climate justice work through its established power redistribution model. Importantly, the training highlighted the need for the Fund to clearly define "climate justice" as a core thematic pillar and develop a strategic approach to its related work. 

Existing climate resilience work: The Fund supports the Building Resilient Fisherwomen community project with Women in Fisheries Network in Tailevu, Rewa, Ra, Ba, Naitasiri, 

A 1-day Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) 101 Training was successfully hosted on 14th March by the Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network (APCAN) which benefited about 23 network members representing government, academic, civil society organisations and youths. 

This is in response to the growing demand for MEL professionals across the Pacific region, and keen interest from our network members in Solomon Islands following a MEL networking event hosted in Honiara late 2023.

The training which was facilitated by Ms Ruth Maetala, a seasoned MEL expert and researcher, had provided participants with the opportunity to learn about the basics of MEL including its principles and different aspects of MEL including but not limited to understanding the MEL cycle; data collection methods and methodologies; project design and how it links to your MEL plan.

APCAN was also honored to have Mrs Alice Iwebu Kale, director for Program Quality Division at the Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination (MNPDC) who've set the scene for the training and provided a presentation on the national development strategy (NDS) and its link to MEL from the government lens.  

The Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network (APCAN) recently hosted a “Climate Career Pathways in the Pacific'' hybrid event on 11 March 2024 in response to growing interest from network members on APCAN’s career pathway event series. With the ever-evolving job market and Pacific landscape in the face of climate change requiring a skilled and dedicated workforce that can champion and contribute to resilience building efforts in the region. This event aimed to provide insights into specific skills, qualifications and training for different climate career pathways, encourage collaboration and information sharing amongst network members, and share challenges and success stories to inspire emerging professionals working in the climate space. The event consisted of two panel sessions featuring four key speakers each, from diverse backgrounds including government, development organisations, academia and the private sector from across the Pacific. 

The first panel session focused on climate leadership in the region. Speakers included Dr. Sivendra Michael (Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Fiji), Ms. Ulusapeti Tiitii (Principal Fisheries Officer with Samoa Fisheries Division), Mr. Hudson Kauhiona (Climate and Community Manager for the Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program), and Ms. Eliala Fihaki (Climate Resilience Programme Manager at World Vision NZ). Participants benefited from the speakers sharing their experiences and lessons learned from challenges and opportunities they had to navigate while contributing to policy making at regional and international forums, and similarly while engaging with their communities within their respective countries. Some key topics discussed around climate leadership included: understanding your ‘why’ is key to helping you navigate challenges as a climate leader and advocate; how traditional knowledge holds invaluable insights for sustainable development; ensuring all voices are heard during community engagement; leadership not being about the position but rather about taking the lead in influencing change; and how mentorship plays a crucial role in nurturing emerging professionals and climate leaders in the Pacific.  

The second panel session focused on kick-starting a career in the climate sector, highlighting emerging Pacific professionals that are on different career pathways but all working towards the same goal - more resilient Pacific communities in the face of climate change. Speakers included Mr. Silipa Mulitalo (Samoa Meteorology Services), Ms. Elisabeta Waqa (Consultant), Mr. Kunal Singh (Development practitioner) and Mr. Tearinaki Tanielu (PhD Candidate and Director for Multilateral Affairs, Kiribati). One key takeaway from this session highlighted by all the speakers is that climate change is cross-cutting and to start a career in this space, it all starts from home and from within oneself - understanding your values, what concerns you and identifying where you can apply change. 

The event was attended by 156 participants online and 17 in person who were highly appreciative of the platform APCAN has provided for knowledge and information exchange between seasoned and emerging Pacific professionals working in the climate space. Participants highlighted the difficulties in finding job opportunities straight after tertiary education, finding credible sources of information, and good role models and mentors who are willing to provide career advice and guidance in the field of climate change. One participant shared “Grateful for this platform, and thankful to all the speakers. Learned something new on the enablers of governance at community level which are collectiveness, richness, diversity, intergenerational and servanthood.” Another participant added “Everyone in the region has a duty to play towards addressing current and emerging societal challenges including climate change. This is an excellent interdisciplinary platform to begin ACTIONABLE OUTCOMES!”

The Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (Climate Partnership) has commissioned the Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF) from the University of Technology Sydney to undertake an analytical study aiming to explore and document insights about community’s lived experiences in responding to climate and disaster risks and building resilience. 

Researchers from ISF have worked closely with Live and Learn Kiribati to learn about perceptions and experiences of resilience to climate change and disasters in Kiribati. The research forms part of the Climate Partnership’s monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) portfolio of work, with community resilience case studies also underway in Fiji and Timor Leste.

During 26 March – 1 April 2024, the research team undertook interviews, focus group discussions and a community workshop with women, men, youth, people with disabilities and older people in Betio, Kiribati, to hear about diverse experiences of climate change, how climate change affects different groups, and ways they each demonstrate resilience. Climate pressures such as extreme heat, coastal erosion and water insecurity were raised by all groups, while the pressure of over-crowding in Betio (where population density is higher than Tokyo) was seen as exacerbating the impacts of these issues. Community members prioritised ikarekebai (sharing information and working together), sustainable natural resource management, and continuation of cultural knowledge and practices as existing strengths they would like to build upon for community resilience into the future. Young people in particular emphasised strengthening access to finance, economic opportunities and mobility into the future.

Participants of Live and Learn’s ‘Atoll Food Futures’ program also spoke of how increasing their family’s food security through creating compost and vegetable farming had numerous positive outcomes that supported their resilience. Findings and lessons from Fiji, Kiribati and Timor Leste case studies are expected to be shared over the coming weeks which would help inform approaches to best community-level resilient development relevant to inform the Australian aid program and other stakeholders. 

Pacific island countries are working towards reducing their reliance on diesel fuel for electricity generation, to tackle the three-pronged challenge of climate change, energy security and the affordability of energy for their residents. From 4th - 8th December 2023, members from the Office of the Regulator (OOTR) and the Electrical Power Corporation (EPC) participated in a series of workshops aimed at deploying openCEM for Samoa.

openCEM is an open-source software tool that produces long-term planning forecasts of electricity systems such as the whole of Samoa or other Pacific island countries. openCEM forecasts plan for the integration of renewable energy generation and storage into the system and existing generation options like hydro and Diesel, while maintaining energy reserves at the least cost.

The workshops allowed participants to dive into the detailed assumptions required to produce long term planning forecasts for the electricity sector. Participants provided technical guidance, detailed data and feedback into the development of a version of openCEM specific for Samoa.

The workshops were organized by Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (the Climate Partnership) and facilitated by ITP Renewables who are developing and deploying openCEM for Samoa.

The Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (Climate Partnership) is working alongside Pacific partners to ensure that climate and disaster resilience is integrated across all sectors of Australia’s aid program, including education. This postcard highlights some of the Climate Partnership’s support to Fiji’s education sector since 2018. 

During 2019-2020, the Climate Partnership undertook audits across 9 Pacific Island Countries (including Fiji) to understand the drivers for climate skills in the short to medium term, the reasons for qualified Pacific Islanders for accessing more climate change employment opportunities, and what was needed through short and medium-terms skills building mechanisms to increase Pacific Islanders' capacity to secure climate change-related employment. 

In the area of scholarships and skills development, the Climate Partnership provided climate and disaster resilience inputs to DFAT Suva Post’s Alumni Engagement Strategy and APTC’s Strategic Framework for Skills for Climate Change and Disaster Resilience. 

The Climate Partnership partners with Fiji's Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts through Australia’s Fiji Program Support Facility. In 2019, the Climate Partnership reviewed the Ministry of Education’s WASH in Schools Policy and, in 2021, provided inputs to their Special and Inclusive Education Policy. 

In collaboration with Australia's Fiji Program Support Facility and the Ministry of Education, the Climate Partnership distributed climate readers to 98 schools, mostly remote schools across the four divisions in Fiji in 2023 (29 in Western, 16 in Eastern, 29 in Northern, and 24 in Central). 

With support from the Fiji Program Support Facility, the Ministry of Education and GIZ's Accelerating Climate Education for the Pacific (ACE) Program, an innovative learning program based on daily radio broadcasts, podcasts and animated videos around climate change and disaster concepts was implemented for primary school students during the COVID-19 lockdown. The virtual learning program proved to be very useful with 91% of the students who were surveyed stating the content was clear and that they would recommend the lessons to teachers in their districts.

A mapping exercise was also undertaken to identify gaps in the knowledge of climate change and disaster risk reduction within Fiji's school curriculum. The Climate Partnership then provided support for integrating climate and disaster resilience concepts into the Years 9-10 English and Mathematics curriculum, which included teacher guides, readers, posters, and literacy and numeracy booster kits. The updated curriculum is planned for roll out in 2024. 

The Climate Partnership has been supporting the Fiji Program Support Facility to enhance integration of climate and disaster resilience across its sectoral programs. For example, the Climate Partnership reviewed the Fiji Education Program’s 2018-19 and 2022-23 workplans to ensure integration of climate and resilience markers and is currently reviewing the Facility's new design for a bilateral education program. 

With the support of the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (Climate Partnership), Dr Paul Rogers, Senior Research Fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland travelled to Fiji to present on the key findings of the Climate Partnership's recent scoping study on Low Carbon Concrete Options for Pacific Infrastructure. 

The presentation was given on 21 November and covered various options for adopting low carbon concrete in the Pacific and made recommendations on how to move forward in creating a resilient, low carbon and responsible concrete sector in the Pacific. 

The conference was attended by representatives from numerous Pacific Island countries, regional organizations such as SPC and SPREP, international donors, consulting firms, and researchers from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, the United States and United Kingdom. 

Dr Rogers’ presentation was part of special session on Mineral Security in Pacific Infrastructure organised by the Development Minerals Program team at The University of Queensland. 

As this year comes to an end, APCAN Solomon Islands reflects on the engagements and partnerships it has made with various stakeholders ranging from the international and regional organizations, governments, civil society organizations, private sector, and academic institutions in 2023.

One of the key partners which APCAN has engaged with is Australian Awards Solomon Islands (AASI) and the Solomon Islands Australia Alumni Association (SIAAA). APCAN recognized the critical role that AASI provides in ensuring that returning scholars have access to job related opportunities, mentoring, professional networking, and/or connection to relevant information on post- graduation capacity building opportunities as they enter or re-enter the workforce. 

As a network that was initially set up as a subset of the broader Australian Alumni Network in Pacific countries, APCAN acknowledged the meaningful engagement and collaboration with AASI this year by supporting returning cohorts of the AASI scholars through information sharing, mentoring, and connecting them with what's happening in the climate change, disaster risk management and overall resilience building space in Solomon Islands and regionally after graduating from university through an Australia Awards Scholarship. 

This year, APCAN participated in three workshops hosted and facilitated by AASI in Honiara and these were:

1.       Preparing for Reintegration Workshop held on the 24 May 2023 via zoom; 

2.       Reintegration Workshop held in person on the 22 September 2023 at Heritage Park Hotel, Honiara; and

3.       Preparing for Reintegration Workshop held on 1 December 2023 via zoom. 

Over these three events, a total of about 23 have benefited from this information, mentoring and networking sessions. APCAN was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with AASI in supporting the graduates as they navigate enter or re-enter the workforce and navigate through their career pathway. 

Across the Pacific, climate change and disasters are having a significant impact on existing inequalities, including gender.  On the 7^th of December 2023, representatives from organizations including Samoa Victim Support, Samoan Women of Growers, and Women in Business Development and staff from Samoa Tautua Program participated in a training to explore the links between gender, climate change, and disaster risk reduction.

Participants were encouraged to consider how to best incorporate gender-responsive approaches in the planning and implementation of climate change resilience.

Key points to support inclusive action included:

• Nothing About Us Without Us – actions must be informed by consultations with affected people and communities through their representative organization.
• Amplify Agency – actions should recognize people’s existing capabilities and the action already underway as well as support people to take the actions they choose.
• Enable Collective Action – actions should maximize the opportunity for people to form networks and work together, including through formal groups or informal community networks.
• Dismantle Barriers – actions should address the barriers to participation in programs including physical barriers, attitudinal barriers, or institutional barriers.

Participants also actively participated in the activities and learned to sign language some key words of climate with the help of a participant with special needs. 

The training was delivered by Maria Sapatu-Kennar for the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership as part of the ‘Tautua’ partnership program, which fosters collective action on human development priorities in Samoa including health, education, gender, disability, and social protection.

On the 14^th of November 2024, the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (APCP) delivered the climate change training for the Tautua Program in Samoa through in-person delivery by Maria Sapatu-Kennar.

Australia’s Tautua Human Development Program prioritizes five interconnected pillars of human development: Education, Health, Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), and Social Protection. The program is helping build the human development foundations required for Samoa’s health security, economic recovery, and continued stability. 

The program team became familiar with and refreshed on climate change causes, impacts, adaptation, mitigation, and what Samoa is putting into action to address it in terms of health, education, and gender inclusion. Other topics shared in the training were the observed changes due to climate change and climate change projections for Samoa and the Pacific.   

There were also discussions on key climate change policies at the global, regional, and national levels.  The Tautua team actively participated and contributed to the discussions by sharing their experiences of Samoa’s strategies for tackling climate change in terms of health, education, and gender.  They were thankful to APCP for the training opportunity as Cheri Robinson-Moors, Team leader remarks “It was a wonderful and thought-provoking session”.   

In supporting the Australian Government's integration of climate and disaster resilience in its aid program; the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (APCP) has developed the Pacific Climate Readers series for primary schools and handbooks (Living with Hazards and The Water for Life) for high school and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) students. 

Earlier this year, handbooks were handed over to Samoa’s National University (NUS) and Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) – Samoa.  The handbooks were well received and both institutes were appreciative of the great work done by APCP to develop such useful resources for Samoan and Pacific students.  In August, the Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, HE Emily Luck handed over Climate Readers and Handbooks to Samoa’s Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (MESC) that will empower primary and secondary students to better understand climate and disaster resilience.  Over the next few months, MESC will be distributing both the primary readers and handbooks to schools across Samoa. 

The Pacific Climate Readers series consists of five readers that use storytelling to explore a range of climate-related concepts including food and water security, health and hygiene, conservation, and community resilience.  The readers are designed to help educators, including parents, encourage children to relate to climate change and to talk to elders and local experts in the community.  The handbooks present essential disaster risk resilience concepts and water as the unifying factor.  Both books have been tailored for students in the Pacific and can be used to supplement climate and disaster, or water-focused curriculum, or be integrated into other subjects where disasters and water security are covered.

Around 15 staff and volunteers of the West Are'are Rokotanikeni Association (WARA) have increased their understanding of climate resilience after completing a climate change module developed by Australia Pacific Climate Partnership, at the end of August in Honiara, Solomon Islands. WARA is a local non-governmental organisation, established more than 20 years ago focused on women's economic empowerment for women of West Are’Are. WARA's network has grown over the years to include women’s groups from other provinces 

WARA recognized that there is greater need to integrate climate resilience in their work, and so supported staff and volunteers with capacity building through the climate module.

"I've learned a lot as this is my first time to attend such training. I learned about climate change adaptation and mitigation and what we can do to contribute to climate action," one of the participants commented.

The training facilitated by the Australian Pacific Climate Alumni Network's Solomon Islands National Coordinator has increased participants' understanding and knowledge on why climate change is happening, types of hazards, and the differences between weather and climate. It also helped participants to understand general actions that can be taken to reduce the causes of climate change (mitigation) and address the impacts (adaptation). At the end of the training, participants reflected on actions already being taken by WARA to address the impacts of climate change on their communities, and on what they could do at the individual and family level to contribute to climate action and resilience building.

Earlier this month, a three-day training program “Navigating International Climate Negotiations'' was completed in Kiribati. This training which targeted aspiring negotiators who wish to engage in effective and meaningful climate change negotiations on behalf of Kiribati, was co-organized by Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network (APCAN) Kiribati and the Office of Te Beretitenti (OB) in Bairiki, Kiribati.

The objectives of the training program were to provide aspiring negotiators with an understanding of the science, policy, and legal aspects of climate change negotiations; create awareness of the UNFCCC negotiation process, develop strategies and effective communication skills to engage in impactful negotiations and strengthen participants' capacity to analyze texts and identify issues, opportunities, and challenges in climate change negotiations. 

The training also provided participants with practical experience through simulations and case studies and  helped to foster a network of climate negotiators in Kiribati for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration in future climate change negotiations. 

Participants of the training included 13 members of the Kiribati National Expert Group (KNEG) which consists of government officials, representatives from NGOs and CSOs, and private sector. The participants were thrilled to be part of the training recognizing the importance of being able to navigate and influence climate change negotiations at national and international levels.

“This is such a perfect training we've been waiting for and we are very fortunate to participate in it,” said Baniti Semilota, Founder of Tungaru Youth Action. “It was a great opportunity given our previous COP experience and struggles encountered."

The training was ably facilitated by Mr. Tearinaki Tanielu and Mr. Choi Yeeting, with funding support from the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership through APCAN

Marine resources are the main livelihood for Samoans and one of the threats to these resources is climate change.  Climate practitioners who are helping local communities and Pacific island nations protect, sustainably manage, and develop these resources are Samoa Fisheries officers (Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.  One of the challenges faced by the Fisheries Divisions is staff turnover with limited time to transfer knowledge and skills from experienced staff (transition) to recruits. 

This gave rise to the Fisheries Mentoring Series by the Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network in collaboration with Samoa’s Fisheries Division to help address the above challenge.  According to a recent article “Factors that assist and constrain the careers of Pacific Island fishery professionals” published in the SPC Fisheries Bulletin, mentoring was the most cited factor that assisted Pacific Island Fishery professionals with their careers.  

The mentoring series was delivered in group sessions and in bilingual (Samoan and English) during the lunch break and based on dates suitable for staff and mentors from April to August 2023.  The mentors selected were based on their great experience in the topics shared by Fisheries staff that they were interested in learning more about or found challenging.  The mentors (listed below) were all former Fisheries staff and coincidentally were all Australian alumni. 

• On the 21^st of April 2023 - Mrs. Joyce Ah Leong, Fisheries Management Adviser for Forum Fisheries Agency talked about Strong Work Ethics 
• On the 9^th of June 2023 - Mr. Ueta Faasili, Manaaki Project Manager for Conservation International shared about Public Speaking 
• On the 30^th of June 2023 - Mr. Yohni Fepuleai, Surveillance Operations Officer for Forum Fisheries Agency talked about Good Time Management 
• On the 25^th of August 2023 - Mrs. Shaunalee Katafono, Co-Founder of Traseable Solutions shared about efficient tools and fisheries opportunities 

The mentoring series created an opportunity for fisheries recruits to learn from former fisheries to strengthen their capacity as fisheries professionals to address challenges that impact their daily work activities.  The success stories of the mentors also inspired the participants in career development opportunities and do their best for positive contributions toward Samoa fisheries overall.  Lastly, it created networking for Samoa Fisheries personnel within Samoa and overseas as well as with the Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network.