PCCC Knowledge Brokers

🩺Strengthening Climate and Health Action in

On 6 July 2026, the PAVE-Health and Climate Change: Pacific Action to Enhance the Visibility of Evidence on Health and Climate Impacts project met with the Samoa Country Team and representatives from the Ministry of Health (MoH) to review progress, discuss upcoming activities, and identify national priorities for project implementation.

The meeting included representatives from the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC)-SPREP and the University of Melbourne (UoM) with the Samoa's Ministry of Health whom reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening climate and health resilience through evidence-based research, capacity building, and strong partnerships.

During the meeting, partners reviewed key activities planned for 2026, including:
➡ Regional Workshop 2 on Climate and Health Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA);
➡ Delivery of Master Trainer workshops using the newly developed Master Trainer Handbook;
➡ Support for ethics applications ahead of community-based research commencing in 2027; and
➡ Dissemination of the PAVE-Health Policy Brief Guide to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making.

A significant milestone shared during the meeting was Samoa's integration of PAVE-Health into the Ministry of Health's Health Emergency Operations and Incident Coordination Centre (HEIOC). This important step embeds the project within existing national health coordination mechanisms and strengthens collaboration across surveillance, research, health promotion, nutrition, and healthcare services.

Discussions also explored Samoa's climate and health priorities, with participants agreeing to broaden the project's focus from dengue to vector-borne diseases to better reflect current public health challenges. The meeting further identified opportunities to develop case studies from ongoing climate and health initiatives and build on existing national research to generate practical evidence for policy and action.

The Ministry of Health reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with project partners to deliver activities that strengthen Samoa's resilience to the health impacts of climate change.

The PAVE-Health Project is a regional initiative funded by Wellcome Trust and implemented across the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, and Solomon Islands in partnership with PCCC- SPREP and the UoM. Through collaboration between governments, research institutions, and regional organisations, the project aims to enhance the visibility and use of evidence on climate change and health to support informed decision-making and healthier, more climate-resilient Pacific communities.