OVER 50 participants from organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and national meteorological services across the Pacific will gather in Port Vila, Vanuatu, this week.
The regional Gender, Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion GEDSI workshop will focus on Inclusive Weather and Climate Services in Practice: From Commitment to Delivery.
The Pacific Community (SPC), through its Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific (COSPPac), is scaling up its groundbreaking GEDSI co-pilot from a national initiative to a regional co-design approach involving Pacific meteorological services and organisations of persons with disabilities.
Launched last year with the Fiji Meteorological Service, the initiative invited disability organisations to participate in the design process for the first time.
This will ensure that weather information, warnings, and climate and ocean products are accessible, understandable, and actionable for persons with disabilities across Fiji and, eventually, the wider region.
This year, COSPPac is taking that model across the Pacific, beginning with a workshop in Vanuatu, working with national meteorological services to ensure that inclusive design becomes the standard rather than the exception.
Pacific Disability Forum Chief Executive, Sainimili Tawake, says the partnership represents a significant step towards regional equity in meteorological services and products that are accessible and understandable.
“We talk about climate, ocean, and weather, but within these big portfolios, persons with disabilities have often been excluded,’’ she said.
“This initiative allows us to change that. By working together from the design phase, we are strengthening the systems and strengthening ourselves as partners so that information reaches the last mile.”
Through workshops with the Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation (FDPF) and local OPDs, the Fiji Meteorological Services explored accessible formats, identified communication gaps, and reviewed materials with lived‑experience experts.
Source: Pacific Community