University of the South Pacific (USP)

The University of the South Pacific (USP) has several capacity building activities which are both on-going and planned. Through its normal training and capacity development for the Pacific Island region, USP has several ongoing academic, short courses, consultancies and an information system which are managed by the School of Marine Studies and the Institute of Marine Resources in Suva, Fiji. These include, multi-disciplinary academic programmes in Marine Affairs and Marine Science, short-term training on topical marine issues to create awareness and promote research, consultancies and applied marine-related research and an information system, known as the Pacific Islands Marine Resources Information System (PIMRIS) that fosters information exchange within and outside the region.The USP has made UN Ocean commitmentswhich includes the 6yr research partnership and joint Ocean and Climate Chair with University of Bergen, the establishment of the Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) in the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) and Master of Science scholarships for two RMI postgraduates in 2019. These UN Ocean commitments are already in train, for example with the MCST, a USP representative will attend the IMO meetings in London (April 2018) on GHG emissions reduction from international shipping with 6 Pacific Island delegations (Fiji, Kiribati, RMI, Solomons, Tuvalu and Tonga) as technical/scientific support provided by USP to the countries. In addition, USP/MCST held a training/capacity development workshop for Pacific IMO delegates in February with Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) USP will enter into a Grant Agreement with the European Union sometime in mid-2018 as part of the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme for just over four years to address the need for improved education and training in the Fisheries sector (oceanic and coastal). Target countries include all 12 USP member countries in addition to Palau, FSM, Timor Leste and PNG. USP will be involved in Capacity Development, Key Result Area 6 "Capacity built through education, training and research and development for key stakeholder groups in fisheries and marine resources management". Poverty alleviation is a key consideration. In addition, gender issues and a rights-based approach will be mainstreamed throughout the programme. With the approach to move from ad-hoc training to more strategic and formal education and career pathways and continuing professional development (CPD), schemes will be implemented at regional and national and local level involving the regional university network, TVET institutions and the leading international marine professionals’ body, IMarEST. Reflecting the cross-cutting nature of capacity building, there are relevant linkages of USP’s activities with those of other members of the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP) who are under a PAGODA Co-Delegation Agreement with the EU.The key results areas 6 are:• Improved access to fisheries and marine education and training that is focused on the identified needs of communities and nation states • Increased in-region capacity developed and decreased need for experts from outside the region• More local businesses • Enhanced marine research collaboration• More women employed in key fisheries and marine sectors/positionsActivities under the PEUMP include:Capacity built through education, training and research and development for key stakeholder groups in fisheries and marine resources management: (a) Comprehensive needs and gap analysis undertaken, (b) accreditation and delivery of existing TVET courses (e.g. fisheries enforcement), (c) design of CPD and career pathways including business skills, (d) development and delivery of additional training courses identified through needs and gap analysis related to coastal fisheries management and sustainable marine development, (e) applied research and postgraduate scholarships, (f) outreach, including on-line delivery of education and training, publications and talanoa, (g) human rights-based and gender trainings.More specifically, the USP-led activities focus on three key areas:Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)Coastal Fisheries Management; and Marine Sustainable Development.