India is conducting climate change resilience training for seven Pacific Island countries.
Photo: AFP
In the first ever cooperation between India and the UN's Pacific development team, 17 Pacific Island representatives have been flown to north India for the one month Climate Early Warning Systems programme.
Funded by the UN-India Development Partnership Fund, programme participants will learn about sea water intrusion, maintaining drinkable water quality, environmental impact on fresh water sources and other issues.
The director of the UN Development Project's Pacific Office in Fiji, Bakhodir Burkhanov, said India would also be able to learn from the Pacific nations.
Those attending include representatives from the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Tonga.
The India-UN Development Partnership was launched in June last year.
India has participated in the Pacific Islands Forum since 2002 and founded the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation in 2014.
It has diplomatic postings in Fiji and Papua New Guinea.