Preparations are well underway for the upcoming Fourth Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-4) and Second Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology (PMMM-2) to be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands from 14-18 August 2017.

The PMC will bring together over 100 Pacific Met Directors, partners and stakeholders to strengthen the path ahead for Pacific Meteorology under the theme, "Sustainable Water, Climate, Ocean and Hydrology Services for a resilient Pacific."

The aim of the PMC is to help coordinate facilitation of meteorological services in support of development agendas, contributing to the strengthening of community resilience. It will also discuss ways to continue to implement the Pacific Meteorological Strategy.

This will be the fourth meeting of Pacific Met Directors and partners under the auspices of the PMC, prior to this, the Pacific Met directors have been meeting since 1993. The last PMC was held in Tonga in July 2015.

"The NMHSs play an important role to keep our communities safe from over 70% of the disasters that affect our region which are weather related. Continuous dialogue between countries in the region provide an opportunity to address gaps and priorities that we have as a region" said Kosi Latu, the Director General of SPREP.

A Donors and Partners Roundtable Meeting will also take place during PMC-4, and will focus on meteorological support in the Pacific region. It will provide an opportunity for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, donors and partners to discuss programs and their support to the climate resilience of Pacific communities, as well as discuss a strategic way forward for sustainable weather, climate, water and ocean services, in the context of the Pacific Island Meteorological Strategy.

The meeting will be followed by the Second Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology.

Both meetings will be held at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Forum Agency Conference Centre in Honiara and are coordinated by SPREP, WMO and the Government of Solomon Islands.