The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) is an inter-governmental regional organisation dedicated to providing services to promote sustainable development in the countries it serves.

Member countries are Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. American Samoa, French Polynesia and New Caledonia are associate members.

SOPAC’s work is carried out through its Secretariat, based in Suva. Work is reviewed annually by a Governing Council assisted by: Secretariat representatives, a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and a Science, Technology and Resources Network (STAR). SOPAC focuses on assisting member countries in three key program areas, Ocean and Islands, Community Lifelines and Community Risk.

• Ocean and Islands is focused on research, development and management of non-living resources in ocean and island systems addressing issues relating to seabed resources, energy, maritime boundary delimitation and monitoring of ocean processes.
• Community Lifelines is a diversified program that strengthens national capacities in energy, water and sanitation, information and communications.
• Community Risk is a comprehensive program aimed at reduction of community vulnerability through improved hazard assessment and risk management.

These key areas are supported by a Corporate Services Program. To effectively provide these support services, SOPAC maintains an information technology unit, provides publication and library services, and offers technical and field services for specific project work.

Benefits accrue to member countries directly through provision of basic geological knowledge and indirectly, through improvements in land and ocean use, leading to improved health through water and sanitation provision, wealth generation through the development of mineral resources, hazard and disaster management and sustainable development by taking into account the geo-environmental impacts of development.

Any island member country can request assistance from SOPAC which is funded by member-country contributions and supported by the following donors: Australia, Fiji, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the European Union, and certain UN agencies.

External links

• SOPAC (http://www.sopac.org/)