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In 1989, the Asian Development Bank provided technical assistance to the then Department of Agriculture and the Survey Department through a NZ Consulting Firm - ANZDEC under an ADB Land Resource Planning Survey Project. The Project provided training on mapping and GIS capability for the survey staff who were involved in the mapping work. Electronic GIS data and equipment were handed over to the Department of Agriculture at the end of the project which were later on damaged by Cyclone Ofa in 1990. A decade later, the Integrated Climate Change Risks in Agriculture and Health Sectors (ICCRAHSS) Project funded by the GEF through UNDP contracted the services of a consultant to provide: -improved GIS maps for soil, crops and rainfall distribution under different climatic projections; -review existing GIS systems and possible areas for collaboration; -consider a program to support capacity building on the use of the system and; -some applications that addresses options for climate change adaptation for the agriculture sector. Based on this report, a GIS system for the Ministry of Agriculture was procured to address the need for such a system to be in place with the expectation that the system will be properly utilized and maintained by relevant people.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and members of the health technical team in the project Integrating Climate Change Risks into Agriculture and Health, the development of this Synthesis Report formulates the baseline of the linkages in climate change and health based on the local context of Samoa. The purpose of this report is to compile and consolidate efforts in addressing risks of climate change to health with scenarios outlines throughout the analysis. The development was reviewed by experts involved in the areas of climate services and health experts in the areas of communicable diseases. This report has developed a baseline to future research work into climate change and health to guide policy formulation as well as to consolidate resource prioritisations for health services to adverse impacts of climate change.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) submitted its Initial National Communication in October, 1999. This Second National Communication uses it as the baseline to document the increases in FSM's vulnerability to climate change, and changes in its greenhouse gas emissions, since the Initial National Communication was prepared. This National Communication also reports on the efforts FSM is making to reduce its emissions and to identify and implement adaptation options that reduce climate risks.

Climate change is a defining challenge of our time. Scientific evidence shows that even if greenhouse gas emissions are cut to zero – a hypothetical situation which is far from the up to 40% cuts that are so controversial within the negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the world would still be on an inexorable course toward global climate change from the legacy of past emissions. The harmful effects of climate change will most acutely affect developing countries. Nevertheless, UNDP firmly believes that, by harmonizing human development and efforts to manage climate change, it is possible to accelerate G E N D E R , C L I M AT E C H A N G E A N D C O M M U N I T Y - B A S E D A D A P TAT I O N i FOREWORD Munira Morshed Munni/UNDP Bangladesh socio-economic progress. Community-based adaptation is one such approach, as its culturally appropriate strategies and mechanisms promote adaptation and thus contribute to sustainable human development at the grassroots level.

The inextricable links between climate change and sustainable development have been increasingly recognised over the past decade. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1 concluded with very high confidence that climate change would impede the ability of many nations to achieve sustainable development by mid-century and become a security risk that would steadily intensify, particularly under greater warming scenarios. Article 4.8 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) lists several groups of countries that merit particular consideration for assistance to adapt to climate change “especially: (a) small island countries, (b) countries with low-lying coastal areas, c) countries with areas prone to natural disasters.” Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have characteristics which make them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, sea level rise (SLR) and extreme events, including: relative isolation, small land masses, concentrations of population and infrastructure in coastal areas, limited economic base and dependency on natural resources, combined with limited financial, technical and institutional capacity for adaptation.2

Climate change is a key human development issue. In the absence of urgent steps to combat and adapt to it, it will worsen the quality of life of the poor population and threaten many vulnerable nation states. The United Nations has been instrumental in ensuring that climate change remains a top priority issue globally, and to integrate the issue into national and local development agenda. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is committed to supporting the Government of Maldives in operationalizing the outcomes of the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), by mainstreaming climate change adaptation and low carbon development in the national Strategic Action Plan. In the Maldives, UNDP advocates Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at the island, atoll and national level, through policy advice and advocacy, and strengthening human, institutional and system-wide capacities

Pacific island countries are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. The potential magnitude of the problem threatens the very existence of some Pacific island states, and the achievement of sustainable development and Millennium Development Goals. However, vulnerabilities and risks associated with climate change are not currently being addressed in any systematic way. Climate change risks and opportunities are not reflected in national and community level planning and governance processes. Individual, institutional and systemic capacity is not targeted towards strategic interventions. Demonstrations of adaptation pilots in key development sectors have not been implemented, and as a consequence few are replicated and scaled-up. The PACC Project aims to significantly improve the effectiveness of the response to climate change in the Pacific. The project will improve technical capacities to support appropriate adaptation centric policies, demonstrate cost-effective adaptation techniques in key sectors, and promote regional cooperation. It is designed to lay the framework for effective and efficient future investment on climate change adaptation in the Pacific.