02/06/2026
Solomon Islands opens third weather-ready Pacific steering committee meeting with a call for village-level warnings
Honiara, Solomon Islands |2 June 2026: Solomon Islands today opened the third Weather Ready Pacific Steering Committee Meeting in Honiara with Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology Hon. Wayne Osopo Ghemu calling for early warning systems that “reach the village level”.
Speaking to Pacific Meteorological Directors, SPREP, WMO, development partners and technical agencies, Minister Ghemu said the true test of Weather Ready Pacific would be whether warnings reach mothers preparing food, fishermen at sea, teachers with children at school, and communities on the most remote islands.
“Early warning must reach the village,” the Minister said. “That is the true value of Weather Ready Pacific.”
The Minister declared Honiara “a home for Weather Ready Pacific” as delegates began two days of talks focused on governance, sustainability and last-mile warning systems for Pacific communities.
He highlighted Solomon Islands’ ranking as the 2nd most at-risk country globally in the 2025 World Risk Index. He noted recent impacts from Tropical Cyclones Lola, Jasper and most recently Tropical Cyclone Maila, plus flooding, landslides, drought and marine hazards.
Returning this weekend from Choiseul and Western Provinces, where TC Maila caused widespread damage, Minister Ghemu said he met communities whose food gardens, homes, schools, churches and health facilities were impacted.
“Early warning must reach the village. It must reach the mother preparing food for her family. It must reach the fisherman deciding whether to go to sea,” Minister Ghemu said. “That is the true value of Weather Ready Pacific.”
SPREP’s Director of Climate Science and Information, Mr Salesa Nihmei, told delegates that Weather Ready Pacific extends beyond technical upgrades.
“Weather Ready Pacific is not just a technical programme. It is a regional commitment to the aspirations of our Leaders. It responds directly to the call by Pacific Leaders for a safer, more resilient, and more secure Blue Pacific,” Mr Nihmei said.
He added the programme supports the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent by strengthening regional cooperation, protecting people, investing in science and technology, and building resilience to climate change and disasters.
“It is also very timely as the world looks toward COP31 and the Pacific’s important role in ensuring that the voices, realities and priorities of our island communities remain at the centre of global climate action,” Mr Nihmei said.
“Weather Ready Pacific provides a practical example of what climate adaptation looks like in action. It is about saving lives. It is about protecting livelihoods. It is about ensuring that warnings reach the last mile, and that communities can act before hazards become disasters.”
Minister Ghemu outlined key progress for Solomon Islands under the Weather Ready Pacific programme, including:
The weather radar under construction near the Honiara International Airport to improve severe weather monitoring and warnings
Staff training for Solomon Islands Meteorological Service forecasters
Starlink kits deployed to improve connectivity for early warning and disaster response in remote areas
While welcoming infrastructure investments, the Minister urged the Steering Committee to focus on sustainability: maintenance plans, national ownership, regional coordination, and long-term financing.
“We need to ensure that the first metre of observation is connected to the last mile of community action,” he said. “Weather Ready Pacific must not become a programme known only in regional meeting rooms. It must be felt in our villages, provinces, schools, churches, markets, harbours and homes.”
Mr Nihmei said Weather Ready Pacific has set out an ambitious decadal programme of investment of approximately $191 million, but stressed this is only the beginning.
“Reaching this level of investment is not the end point. It is the beginning of a long-term effort to modernise our National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, strengthen early warning systems, close observation gaps, improve forecasting, build national capacity, and ensure that our systems are sustainable,” he said.
“Sustainability must remain at the heart of our discussions. We cannot afford systems that work only while a project is active. We cannot afford equipment that cannot be maintained. We cannot afford training that is not institutionalised. We cannot afford fragmented investments that do not strengthen national services.”
“Weather Ready Pacific must help us build systems that last. Systems that are owned by countries. Systems that are supported by the region. Systems that continue to serve communities long after individual projects have ended.”
The Minister thanked SPREP for coordination, Pacific Meteorological Directors for regional leadership, and the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service and National Disaster Management Office for their service.
