A groundbreaking ceremony for the Pacific region's first Climate Change Centre is scheduled for Friday in Samoa.
The ceremony will take place at the headquarters of Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Vailima.
The Pacific islands region is on track to have its own Climate Change Centre based at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme in Samoa with groundbreaking scheduled for Friday.
Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the centre would play a critical role in enhancing the awareness of the complexities of climate change, its impacts, threats and opportunities such as building capacity and resilience.
Construction of the centre will be funded by the government of Japan through a grant to the government of Samoa.
The groundbreaking coincides with the 25 year anniversary celebrations of SPREP as a regional organisation.