A senior Samoa Government official has called for future projects on climate change in the region to also invest in building the capacity of Pacific islanders.

The C.E.O. for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Lealaisalanoa Frances Reupena, made the appeal on Tuesday during a two-day workshop to conclude the Next Generation Climate Projections Project.

Lealaisalanoa acknowledged the consistent support of the Australian Government to climate change science over the years, an area which she says is not always attractive for funding, according to a statement released by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P.).

Currently the Chair of the Pacific Meteorological Council, the head of the M.N.R.E. said previously the region lacked capacity in the area of science, but that is not the case any more.

“In science-based projects, it used to be said that we lacked capacity to participate in development and implementation of the science, however, after years of partnership we need to change the way we see this," Lealaisalanoa said. "The capacity is there, but we lack resources and exposure."

As an example of Pacific islanders becoming specialist in their fields, the M.N.R.E. C.E.O. highlighted the appointment of the current Director of the Samoa Meteorological Services, Dr Luteru Tauvale, who graduated from Japan with a PhD in Meteorology.

“I would like to encourage future projects on climate change science to invest in the capacity of our Pacific peoples," she said. "Allow our staff to not only provide information to be used for studies, but be part of research contributing to project outcomes."

The Next Generation Climate Projections Project was funded by the Australian Government and concluded last month (March). According to the S.P.R.E.P. media release, the final project workshop was held over the course of two days, and during the first day of discussions, the project team presented its key activities and deliverables to representatives from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, government officials, NGO’s across the Pacific, as well as members of CROP organisation, donors and development partners.

The new Director General of S.P.R.E.P. Sefanaia Nawadra, personally thanked the Government of Australia for their continued support for climate change in the region, and emphasised the importance of having science-based data, to not only inform decision making at a national and regional level, but to support negotiations at the international level.

“The only way we can effectively advocate for our region at international Conferences of the Parties, workshops and other global meetings is if we have science and data behind us to make our case," Mr Nawadra said. "This is why projects like NextGen are so important."