Papua New Guinea faces crisis due to El Niño, sends warning to rest of Pacific as PICOF-19 kicks off in Port Moresby

He was speaking at the official opening of the 19th Pacific Islands Climate and Oceans Forum (PICOF-19), which brings together Directors of Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), climate officers and technical experts from the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Pacific Regional Climate Centre-Network (RCC) and partners from various regional and international organisations.

The PICOF-19 in Port Moresby comes at a timely phase, as the country declared a National Humanitarian Crisis this month due to the impacts of what has been described as one of the strongest El Niño events ever recorded on its population of 3 million citizens nationwide. 

“In Papua New Guinea, the impacts have been swift, severe, and widespread.” 

“In high-altitude areas, including Tambul in the Western Highlands, Kundiawa-Gembogl in Chimbu, and parts of Southern Highlands and Hela, unseasonal and destructive frosts have scorched food gardens, wiping out vital staple crops such as sweet potatoes, taro, and banana,” he added. 

According to Mr. Itox major river systems, including the Sepik River, have experienced extreme water level drops, shrinking waterways and cutting off clean drinking water and modes of transportation to remote communities. He also emphasized that “some boats are sitting on dry land.”

Mr. Itox also explained that the Western Province, Gulf, and the National Capital District have reached critical drought threshold, while 12 additional provinces remain under prolonged drought watch.

As Pacific climate experts listened on, the message shared by Papua New Guinea was clear, the impacts of this El Niño are like nothing any of them have experienced in their careers, and the time to act is now. 

Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) Climate Science and Information Programme, Mr. Salesa Nihmei, issued a challenge to climate officers from Pacific NMHSs gathered at the PICOF to use the next two days as best as they can to ensure they are equipped with all they need, from the science to messaging, when they go back to prepare their countries and advise their governments on the upcoming impacts of El Niño. 

Over the next two days, experts from agencies under the Pacific Meteorological Council and the World Meteorological Organization Regional Climate Centre-Network will be presenting the climate science and information behind what the Pacific can expect over the next six months, and Mr. Laitia Fifita, Chair of the Pacific Meteorological Council and President of the World Meteorological Organization’s Regional Area V (WMO RA-V) reiterated a simple but important point – that climate information delivers its greatest value when it informs decisions at the right time and at the right scale.

“Since 2015, PICOF has demonstrated what effective climate services look like in practice. By translating science into timely and actionable guidance for the dry and wet season, PICOF provides a foundation for resilience across the Pacific,” Mr. Fifita said. 

But to meet the challenges of tomorrow, Mr. Fifita said, the forum must continue to evolve. 

“I encourage PICOF to remain open to new and sustainable approaches to developing climate services, supported by advances in science and technology to support expansion into sub-seasonal and multi-annual timescales, which are essential for climate adaptation with the people of our countries at the heart of it all.”

“Science remains foundational. PICOF produces critical insights, now we must ensure they are used to their full potential. They must inform decisions, reduce risks, and strengthen resilience across all sectors,” he concluded. 

PICOF-19 is being hosted in Port Moresby from 20 – 21 October. It is funded by the European Union-funded Intra-Africa, Caribbean, Pacific Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) programme with support from the Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific (COSPPac). 

About ClimSA Pacific

The Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) Programme in the Pacific is a transformative initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by SPREP in partnership with the ACP Secretariat. ClimSA Pacific aims to strengthen climate information services, enhance early warning systems, and empower decision-making across key sectors through tailored, actionable climate products. By supporting National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and regional coordination, ClimSA Pacific is building a more resilient and climate-informed Pacific community.

About COSPPac

The Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific Phase 3 (COSPPac 3) is a four-year program funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Government of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). It aims to support Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to deliver useful and usable climate and ocean information services to enable all Pacific peoples to remain resilient to the impacts of climate change and disasters. COSPPac 3 is jointly implemented by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Earth Sciences New Zealand (ESNZ), Geoscience Australia (GA), the Pacific Community (SPC), and SPREP.

For more information, please contact: 

Ms. Patricia Mallam, ClimSA Communications and Knowledge Brokerage Officer, at patriciam@sprep.org

Ms. Leanne Moananu, COSPPac Communications Officer, at leannem@sprep.org