The APEC Climate Center (Hereafter APCC) held the Official Handover Ceremony of the the Van-KIRAP tailOred System of Climate Services for AgRiculture (OSCAR) System on 11 August, 2023. The OSCAR system is a Vanuatu Customised Climate Information Services-based Decision Support System (DSS) for farmers. The Official Handover Ceremony was attended by around 50 participants, including the Vanuatu Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, key high-ranking and working-level officials from local government related to agriculture, weather, and climate.

APCC officially transferred the OSCAR to the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD), laying the foundation for the sustainable provision and operation of climate services in Vanuatu. Based on this, APCC will promote follow-up projects to steadily strengthen the field utilization of OSCAR system.

Meanwhile, APCC researchers participated in the '6th Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC)', held from 14th to 16th August, 2023 and then attended the 3rd Pacific Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology (PMMM), held on 18th August in Nadi, Fiji.

At the PMC and the PMMM, APCC introduced its Green Climate Fund (GCF) projects, currently carried out to enhance the climate change response capacity of Pacific Island countries, and discussed collaborative measures necessary for joint responses to climate change with 14 Pacific Island countries.

In particular, at the PMC, APCC researchers, together with the Director General of Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP: Mr. Sefanaia Nawadra) and the VMGD Director(Mr. Montine Romone), officially announced the local transfer and operation of OSCAR to Vanuatu to PICs. It raised awareness of OSCAR system around the area.