The University of Melbourne, in partnership with the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, launched an innovative program on 4 February 2026 that aims to improve climate and health outcomes across the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean regions.
Fifteen emerging climate and health leaders from thirteen Pacific and Caribbean countries are participating in the immersive, six-week leadership, capacity development, knowledge exchange and networking Fellowship at the University of Melbourne.
The ‘Enhancing climate, energy and health resilience across the Pacific and Caribbean’ program is co-hosted by Melbourne Climate Futures and the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health in partnership with PCCC, and is funded by a $500,790 grant awarded through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Australia Awards initiative.
While this is the third consecutive round of Australia Awards funding the program has secured, this is the first round that sees Caribbean fellows represented in its cohort, and its first collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.
‘The success of the University of Melbourne and PCCC’s Australia Awards Program is evident, not just in the consistent support granted to it by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but in the wonderful feedback we receive from our Fellows, who continue to collaborate and foster their climate leadership,’ said Kathryn Bowen, Professor of Environment, Climate and Global Health and Deputy Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, University of Melbourne.
‘Expanding the Fellowship's scope to partner with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre and include Caribbean Fellows provides us with an even greater opportunity to develop climate leadership and outcomes across Small Island States.’
he program will deliver comprehensive specialist training on thematic priority areas including:
- Adaptation considerations in Small Island States
- Research and practice considerations including effective community engagement
- Leadership and advocacy to support adaptation and resilience
- Policy and program development to achieve climate-resilient development
- Pursuing green energy and just transitions in Small Island States
- Effective knowledge exchange and communication strategies.
The practical program is designed to increase Fellows’ expertise, advancing their efforts to alleviate climate impacts upon returning home.
‘This Fellowship comes at a pivotal time for the Caribbean region. We are seeing the growth in waterborne and heat related illnesses associated with global climate change. Our fellows will gain and expand their knowledge, which we hope will be beneficial to the Caribbean region and wider afield,’ said Mark Bynoe, PhD, Director of Business Strategy and Regional Coordination, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).
During the Fellowship, each participant will prepare a research output, such as a policy brief, with the support of a local mentor, and will reconvene with their cohort at a workshop led by PCCC in Samoa three months after the completion of the initial training.
‘This Fellowship represents far more than an academic programme. It is a powerful example of how innovative, cross-regional partnerships can bring together science, policy, and practice to respond to some of the most pressing challenges of our time: climate change, energy security, and public health resilience,' said Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General, SPREP.
Australia Awards are prestigious, transformational scholarships offered to emerging leaders from Small Island States, which provide the opportunity to showcase Australia’s world-class education sector in a globally competitive marketplace.
This year’s Fellows have been selected from Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, and Suriname.
