Building Resilient Futures: Pacific Countries Advance Climate-Smart and Life Skills Education

Organized under the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) and funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the consultation brought together policymakers, curriculum specialists, teacher educators and development partners from Pacific Island countries, including Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The consultation aimed to advance the integration of the Pacific Employability, Transferable and All-Life Skills (PETALS) framework, alongside climate change and environmental education, into national education systems.

Opening the consultation, Fiji’s Minister for Education, Hon. Aseri Radrodro, underscored the urgency of transforming education systems in response to evolving global and regional challenges. “The Pacific stands on the frontlines of climate change, and our young people require not only academic knowledge, but also the skills, values, and competencies to thrive in an uncertain world,” he stated, emphasizing that investing in education is critical to strengthening national resilience and preparing future generations.