Sunday 6 November 2011, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea, New Caledonia

Heads of government, ministers and ambassadors from 22 Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) and Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA will gather in Noumea, New Caledonia on Monday for the 7th Conference of the Pacific Community to discuss the impact of climate change on food and drinking water - one of the most critical issues facing the Pacific region today.

The theme of the conference is 'Climate Change and Food Security - Managing the Risks for Sustainable Development'.

'Managing risks to food security and reducing exposure to extreme weather events are arguably the most pressing climate change issues confronting Pacific nations today,' says SPC Director-General Dr Jimmie Rodgers. 'The conference will discuss ways to lessen the impacts of climate change on food and dr
inking water.'

Representatives from regional and international development agencies and international aid donors will also attend the Conference.

The Pacific region's oldest and largest development agency, SPC addresses climate change through its various divisions, including those that work with agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and water.


The Conference of the Pacific Community, which meets bi-annually, is SPC's governing body. SPC's members include the 22 PICTS it serves: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna, plus its four founding members: Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA.