Samoa influences regional weather declaration

Samoa’s call for a regional weather and climate declaration to include international frameworks on sustainable development has been answered. Specifically, Samoa wanted the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the Nuku’alofa Ministerial Declaration for Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific. Regional meteorology Government ministers and representatives are in Tonga for the first Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology and adopted the declaration. Samoa’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Faamoetauloa Lealaiauloto Taito Dr Faale Tumaalii, made the request during his country statement. “We can’t just talk about sustainable development we must connect our goals to this international framework.”

 Faamoetauloa describe the SDGs as the cornerstone that will “guide every country in implementing their development goals”. Samoa’s request to include the SDGs was also supported by Papua New Guinea’s Department of Transport and Infrastructure Secretary Roy Mumu, who said weather services were critical to his country’s development. The other frameworks included in the declaration include the SAMOA Pathway, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, and the outcomes of the 21st Conference of the Parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “From a positive angle, we should also look at how the Met service has contributed to the gross domestic product of a country,” said Faamoetauloa. He said Samoa had programmes that connected climate to the agricultural, health and energy sector to build economic and environmental resilience.

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