The island nations of the Pacific are "showing the way" to protect the planet from the ravages of climate change and now the rest of the world needs to step up with more support, the United Nations chief said on Monday.
In an address to the opening of the 18-Member Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Mr António Guterres said that the Pacific "is a beacon of solidarity and strength, environmental stewardship and peace."
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo will join Mr Guterres at the Forum, to bring attention to how climate change and associated sea-level rise is impacting Pacific islands, and to highlight the need for Early Warnings for All as a crucial climate adaptation tool.
Coinciding with the Forum, Mr Guterres assisted in the inauguration of a new weather radar at Tonga's Fua'amotu International Airport, in collaboratation between New Zealand's Met Service and Tonga's National Meteorological and Hydrological Service.
Funded by New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade this radar will enhance severe weather forecasting in the Pacific, a critical step to helping communities prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.
This will help to fill gaps in basic observations and forecasting data and contribute to the global Early Warnings For All initiative and the Weather Ready Pacific programme.
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, Met Service Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hunt and Sefanaia Nawadra Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) were among those attending the ceremony.
Multi-hazard early warnings
Tonga, like other Pacific Islands, is impacted by a multitude of cascading hazards, as highlighted by the 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano. This unleashed a basin-wide tsunami and sent vast amounts of water vapour into the atmosphere, affecting the global climate.
A minor earthquake occurred during the UN Secretary-General's visit to a school.
"Just as I was talking to children and young people in Tonga today about the importance of disaster preparedness, we experienced an earthquake," Mr Guterres posted on LinkedIn. "Thanks to early warning systems, we were soon informed that there was no threat of a tsunami. These tools are vital for so many - in the Pacific and beyond," he commented.
This is why WMO promotes a multi-hazard approach to Early Warnings For All.
Cope Initiative
A new book from WMO and the COPE initiative on disaster champions, in the local Tongan language, was released by Mr Guterres during his visit to schoolchildren.
It seeks to enhance children's understanding of climate change and extreme weather and disaster risk reduction and equip them with the knowledge and skills to reduce risks and respond effectively to disasters.
COPE is a series of illustrated, not-for-profit storybooks created in 2018, aiming to increase the disaster resilience of children globally, especially those living in less advantaged areas.
The books cover natural hazards ranging from floods to earthquakes, wildfires to cyclones, storm surge to tsunami. The books provide coping tools, preparedness, and relatable stories in an imaginative way that is easy to understand.
The books have been distributed in 34 countries, about 3 million children have had access to the series.
WMO has been contributing to the COPE initiative in the following aspects:
WMO serves as a scientific advisor, promoting a creative, narrative, collaborative, and contextually sensitive educational approach to disasters that highlight key messages that are easy for children to remember such as EVACUATE for floods or DROP COVER HOLD for earthquakes.
WMO also encourages its Members to use COPE material in formal and informal education about climate change and sustainability.
To better spread knowledge, COPE series are all provided free of charge, without any copyright restrictions.
Translations including sign language for disabilities
The inclusion of disabilities and children's rights perspective has been carefully vetted by experts at UNICEF, East Asia and Pacific. The COPE team creatively integrates sign language across the narratives via an ongoing partnership with the University of Brazil, and the use of Brazilian Sign Language.
More details on COPE and disaster champions
