Pacific Solution Exchange Event Promotes Technology Uses

Pacific Solution Exchange Event Promotes Technology Uses In Climate Change Programmes

[14 May 2013 – Suva, Fiji] More than 40 development experts from across the Pacific today met to discuss existing and potential ways to incorporate Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as social media and mobile phone technology, into climate change, disaster risk and development programmes.

The Pacific Solution Exchange (PSE) knowledge-sharing forum hosted the event after a recent e-conversation it moderated about ‘ICTs and social media.’

The e-conversation started by Dr Adam Bumpus, an Assistant Professor from the University of Melbourne generated such a high level of interest that the University has now decided to undertake more research on how people may use mobile technologies to improve the effectiveness of climate change projects in the Pacific region.  

“The Pacific Solution Exchange event today highlighted the interest in ICTs for sustainable development solutions, including climate change, in the Pacific. The mix of private sector, top academic institutions in the Pacific and Australia and international agencies looking for innovative solutions through collaboration is really exciting. The 'wicked problem' of climate change needs this kind of interaction at thinking and operational levels; the PSE Action Group event helped to make this happen,” Dr Bumpus said.

Central to the discussion was a proposed ICT-based Monitoring and Evaluation pilot programme being planned for a climate change project in the Pacific, making it relevant for practitioners who need tangible outcomes from such events.

“The event created a conversation that brought the best ideas together from the public, private and research worlds. Only through this kind of collaboration can we find great solutions to important problems. Based on the discussions today, we hope to brainstorm options to implement ground-breaking work using mobile phones and other information communication technologies to improve accountability and effectiveness of climate change projects that benefit local people in the Pacific,” Dr Bumpus said.

The discussion about “Using ICTs and Social Media for Climate Change Programmes” is available on the PSE website:
http://www.solutionexchange-un.net/repository/pc/ccd/cr13-en-20122012-1.pdf

The Pacific Solution Exchange is an email-based knowledge sharing service that enables people across the Pacific to ask each other queries and share answers, insights, experiences and lessons learned to help each other in their climate change and disaster risk work. It has over 1300 members including practitioners, students, government, concerned Elders, and community members in remote islands. PSE is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre with support from Australian Aid (AusAID).

ENDS

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