Ten Australia Awards Fellows from across the Pacific Islands region are in Samoa this week on a ‘journey together’ to drive action on climate adaptation, resilience and just energy transition priorities in their respective countries.

On Tuesday, the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) welcomed the Fellows and its partners from Melbourne Climate Futures (MCF), for a one-week implementation workshop, in Apia.

The Australia Awards Fellowship (AAF) is an immersive leadership, capacity development, knowledge exchange and networking initiative, coordinated by PCCC and MCF to equip Fellows with additional skills, networks, and resources to drive climate action in their communities.

The four-day implementation workshop on Advancing Climate Adaptation, Resilience and Just Transitions in the Indo-Pacific follows a six-week programme hosted by the University of Melbourne in November and December 2025 and will further guide the fellows in implementing policies and practices in their home countries.

SPREP’s Director of Climate Change Resilience (CCR) Tagaloa Cooper highlighted the value of the fellowship as a basis for a continuing community of practice and network that will support the fellows on the ground.

“Success is due to the relationships that have been built and grown over time,” said MsCooper, “and the way we view this fellowship is that our fellows are not on an individual journey. You’re on a journey together.”

Manager of the PCCC ‘Ofa Kaisamy spoke about the importance of partner organisations continuing to collaborate to find solutions together.

The idea of the Fellowship, which is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was sparked after University of Melbourne Professor Kathryn Bowen visited to speak at PCCC.

With two cohorts having completed the fellowship, the programme has further evolved into a project that aims to fortify the Pacific region against the health impacts of climate change, funded by A$4.9 million from Wellcome Trust, PAVE – Health: Pacific Action to enhance the Visibility of Evidence on Health and Climate Impacts.

Australian High Commissioner to Samoa Will Robinson highlighted how the fellowship meets Australia’s aims to improve Pacific Island states’ access to global finance networks and global advocacy by developing fellows’ leadership in their own countries, linking into this leadership, and learning from local perspectives.

“Climate change is a global and systemic crisis,” he said. “I don’t think this is felt anywhere more acutely than in the Pacific. You have a call to action: you will be climate leaders in your countries in the years ahead. You are the leaders who will have the influence, evidence and academic understanding, and an ability based on your own experience and expertise to drive change.”

Ms Bernadette Amosa, of Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) congratulated all the fellows and welcomed them to Samoa, expressing her enthusiasm about the fellowship and the work the fellows will undertake while in Apia this week.