SPREP Partners with TOF

PRESS BRIEFING 
6Oct17 
15:45, Malta at the Our Ocean conference 2017 

Today, The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and The Ocean Foundation (TOF) are signing an MOU to commit to co-host three workshops on ocean acidification to benefit 10 Pacific Island (large ocean states) nations. 

SPREP and TOF have mutual interests in relation to the protection and conservation of the marine environment, particularly in the areas of ocean acidification, climate change, and integrated governance.

SPREP is represented by Kosi Latu its Director General, “our partnership is an excellent example of genuine and practical partnership that will deliver scientific and governance information, tools and capacity for Pacific Island scientists and policymakers driven by local needs and solutions that build long-term resilience.” 

TOF is represented by Mark J. Spalding, its President, “we have a proven global model for sharing tools and building capacity related to measuring and monitoring ocean acidification, as well as crafting policymaking related to research, adaptation and mitigation of ocean acidification. The success of our work requires strong local context, particularly partnership with communities. Our partnership will leverage SPREP’s local knowledge and networks with the large ocean states in the Pacific.” 

The workshops are described in TOF’s commitment made at the Our Ocean 2017 conference here in Malta: 

The Ocean Foundation Commitment 

The Ocean Foundation announced a EUR 1.05 million (USD 1.25 million) initiative for the ocean acidification capacity building for 2017 and 2018, particularly for developing nations, which will include workshops for policy and science capacity building as well as technology transfer for African, Pacific Island, Central American and Caribbean nations. This initiative, announced in 2016, has been expanded with regard to the increased funding commitments from public and private partners, the number of scientists to be invited and number of kits to be gifted. 

Ocean acidification capacity building (science and policy) — particularly for developing nations envisions: 

• A new expansion on The Ocean Foundation’s previous commitment to now provide a 3-day workshop for policy capacity building, including legislative template drafting, and legislator peer-to-peer training for: 
  • About 15 legislator representatives from 10 Pacific Island Nations in November 2017 
  • To be replicated in 2018 for Central American and Caribbean Nations 
• 2-week workshop for science capacity building, including peer-to-peer training and full participation in the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) for: 
  • About 23 representatives from 10 Pacific Island Nations in November 2017 
  • To be replicated in 2018 for Central American and Caribbean Nations 2 
• Tech transfer (such as our GOA-ON in a box lab and field study kits) for each scientist who is trained 
  • In addition to the Four kits delivered to African scientists in August 2017 
  • Four to eight kits delivered to Pacific Island scientists in November 2017 
  • Four to eight kits delivered to Central American and Caribbean scientists in in 2018 

Activities in the Pacific are in partnership with the secretariat of the pacific regional environment program (SPREP)

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES 
Contact: 
Alexis Valauri-Orton [email protected] 
Mobile +1.206.713.8716 

Scientists hold their iSAMI pH sensors before deployment at the Mauritius workshop in August 2017.

Deployment of the sensors at the Mauritius workshop in August 2017.

Organizing the data in the lab at the Mauritius workshop in August 2017.