The Pacific Innovation Forum for Climate and Environment (PIFCE) 1st - 3rd July, 2026

International Organisation for Migration

Brief overview

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading UN agency on migration, working across the Pacific to saving lives and protecting people on the move, driving solutions to displacement, and facilitate regular migration pathways, guided by the IOM Strategic Plan 2024-2028. IOM has offices in 10 Pacific Island countries including Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, as well as operational engagements and activities in Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Tokelau. IOM is committed to supporting Pacific regional, national and local priorities.

Your organisation’s goals

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), as the leading intergovernmental migration agency, has been at the forefront of operational, research, policy and advocacy efforts, relating to the nexus climate change, environment, and human mobility, alongside Member States, observers and partners. With a strong focus on the Pacific’s acute exposure to climate‑ and disaster‑related risks, IOM supports governments and communities to prevent, reduce, and address climate‑induced displacement through evidence‑based policy advice, climate mobility research, and the integration of human mobility into national adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and development planning. In the Pacific, IOM’s services span disaster preparedness and response coordination, climate change adaptation and resilience building, planned relocation and migration governance, and protection of displaced and at‑risk populations.

The Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility (PRFCM) was developed, and continues to be implemented, through a member state-driven, collaborative process supported by the IOM-led Pacific Climate Change Migration and Human Security (PCCMHS) Programme, and involving all Pacific Island Forum Members, partners and stakeholders. IOM, PIFS and partners support a regional ecosystem that enables climate mobility action and supports practical, time-bound implementation at the country level through integrated, action-oriented approaches.

Describe your innovation

Innovation: Cross Sector Interactive Climate Mobility Training Tools for the Pacific

One innovation we wish to feature is our suite of interactive climate mobility training tools designed to be used across traditional silos of government, civil society, and communities, as well as promote intergenerational learning. The tools are tailored for a wide range of stakeholders—from children and youth, to community leaders, civil society organizations, technical officers, and senior government decision makers—creating a shared learning platform on climate related mobility in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

The innovation addresses climate change and environmental challenges by strengthening understanding of how sea level rise, coastal erosion, extreme weather events, and ecosystem degradation influence human mobility. Through scenario based simulations, serious games, and facilitated dialogue, users explore real world climate mobility pathways such as planned relocation, disaster displacement, labour mobility as adaptation, and urbanization. Importantly, the tools emphasize anticipatory and preventive approaches, enabling stakeholders to assess risks and policy trade offs before crises occur.

A defining feature of this innovation is its ability to bridge institutional and sectoral divides. Climate mobility is often fragmented across mandates—environment, disaster risk management, land, housing, labour, education, and social protection—while civil society and communities are engaged late or inconsistently. These tools bring actors together in a shared, participatory learning space, fostering a common language, mutual understanding, and coordinated responses across ministries, local authorities, NGOs, faith based organizations, and community groups.

The tools are particularly relevant for PICTs as they are grounded in Pacific realities, including customary land tenure, strong cultural ties to land and ocean, and the importance of collective decision making. By supporting intergenerational and cross sector engagement, the innovation strengthens policy coherence, community ownership, and regional solidarity—key foundations for rights based, culturally appropriate, and climate resilient mobility solutions in the Pacific.

How is this solution is innovative?

This solution is innovative because it transforms complex climate mobility concepts into participatory, game-based learning that is intergenerational, inclusive, and highly accessible. The interactive booth will demonstrate how the locally contextualized board games to translate policy issues—such as planned relocation, livelihoods, risk reduction, and mobility choices—into shared experiences that can be understood and discussed by elders, youth, practitioners, and decision makers alike. Unlike traditional awareness tools, the games center adult learning principles: experiential play, peer-to-peer exchange, reflection, and dialogue grounded in lived realities (Policy Game and Human Security Janga).

The youth focused Climate Mobility board game is designed to be language-light, low tech, and adaptable, enabling participation across literacy levels, abilities, and cultural contexts common in the Pacific. Their intergenerational nature creates safe spaces for elders’ knowledge, youth perspectives, and professional expertise to intersect, fostering mutual understanding and collective problem solving. This makes the booth effective not only for community engagement, but also for cross sector learning among government officials, civil society, humanitarian actors, academia, and the private sector. By positioning play as a serious learning and advocacy tool, the interactive booth challenges conventional engagement models and makes climate mobility tangible, relational, and human centred—supporting informed dialogue, values-based decision making, and stronger regional collaboration.

How can the innovation be replicated and scaled up in other PICTs?

The innovation can be replicated and scaled across Pacific Island Countries and Territories through a partnership driven, low cost, and capacity building model. Institutional partnerships with regional bodies (e.g. SPC, PIFS), national governments, local authorities, CSOs, schools, and universities can support contextual adaptation of the board games to national climate, mobility, and cultural realities. Collaboration with IOM country offices and regional programmes ensures alignment with national adaptation plans, DRM strategies, and climate mobility policies.

Financing can leverage blended models: modest seed funding from development partners and climate funds, integration into existing programme budgets (community engagement, preparedness, policy dialogue), and co hosting with events such as regional forums, COP related outreach, or national consultations. The low tech, reusable nature of the games keeps costs minimal and sustainable.

Capacity requirements are intentionally light. Facilitator toolkits and short trainings can enable government officers, NGO staff, youth leaders, and community facilitators to host booths independently. A train the trainer approach supports regional ownership and peer learning, enabling the innovation to scale organically while remaining grounded in Pacific values, intergenerational knowledge, and inclusive participation across sectors.

How is the solution cost‑effective and affordable in the context of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)?

Yes, the solution is cost effective and affordable from the perspective of end users in Pacific Island Countries and Territories. The interactive tools and games are intentionally low tech, reusable, and locally producible, relying on printed materials, simple game pieces, and facilitated dialogue rather than digital infrastructure. This makes them affordable for communities, local governments, schools, and civil society organizations with limited resources, and usable in remote or low connectivity settings.

For communities, participation is free and does not, technical skills, or equipment, reducing barriers to engagement while respecting cultural norms of collective learning (more translations will be helpful and are needed_. For local governments and service providers, the games offer a practical engagement tool that can be integrated into existing consultations, trainings, and outreach activities without additional staffing or high operational costs. MSMEs, youth groups, and local organizations can also host booths or sessions using shared kits, enabling cost sharing and local ownership.

Because the games are durable and adaptable, a single investment supports repeated use across multiple events and audiences. Overall, the solution delivers high learning and engagement value relative to its low cost, making it a financially sustainable and accessible innovation for the Pacific.

Locations (country, island, or community) where this solution has been piloted and/or implemented

Solomon Islands, Palau, Vanuatu, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Regionally, Tonga, Tuvalu

Learn more:

https://www.iom.int/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B5ewKejRM/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AngeMHZMu/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D14NAEVT5/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CrvMET2GJ/

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute

About

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute (AVOI) is a science-led, community-driven initiative advancing marine restoration, climate resilience and sustainable blue economy development in Vanuatu. Through its Havannah Harbour pilot, AVOI integrates Reef Ball deployment, artificial reef design, drone-enabled monitoring and workforce training via the Vanuatu Ocean Rangers. The model combines innovation and local stewardship to restore ecosystems, strengthen biodiversity and support climate adaptation. By linking technology, community engagement and practical delivery, AVOI is developing a scalable national framework that helps translate ocean policy into measurable outcomes, creating jobs, building local capability and supporting long-term environmental resilience across island communities.

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute (AVOI) delivers integrated, science-led services focused on marine restoration, climate resilience and sustainable environmental management. Its core services include the design and deployment of Reef Ball artificial reef systems and managed vessel reefs to restore degraded marine habitats, enhance biodiversity and support fisheries recovery. AVOI also provides drone-enabled monitoring and survey services, using autonomous and manned systems to track climate impacts, support conservation planning and improve data-driven decision-making across marine and coastal environments.

A central component is the development of the Vanuatu Ocean Rangers program, which builds local workforce capability in restoration, monitoring, conservation and environmental stewardship. AVOI also supports Marine Protected Area (MPA) design, ecological baseline assessments and long-term monitoring frameworks aligned with national ocean policy objectives.

Through community engagement, eco-tourism integration and applied innovation, AVOI connects environmental protection with economic opportunity. Its Havannah Harbour pilot serves as a scalable model to deliver practical climate adaptation, strengthen ecosystem resilience and enable coordinated, whole-of-government environmental outcomes across Vanuatu.

The Innovation

One of AVOI’s key innovations is the integration of the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program with locally delivered marine restoration systems, including Reef Ball fabrication and deployment. This model combines workforce development, community engagement and practical restoration into a single, scalable framework designed for island environments.

Through structured Vanuatu Ocean Ranger Camps, over a 3 day period AVOI identifies and trains local Ni-Vanuatu participants in marine conservation, Scientific diving, restoration techniques, monitoring and stewardship. One aspect of the Rangers responsibilities is to support the fabrication and deployment of Reef Ball artificial reef systems using locally sourced materials and regional supply chains, significantly reducing costs and increasing local ownership. The approach enables degraded reef systems to be restored while simultaneously building in-country capability and employment pathways, guided by our National AVOI Play Book at its core.

This innovation directly addresses climate change by strengthening reef resilience, supporting fisheries recovery and enhancing coastal protection against storm surge and extreme weather events. It also improves ecosystem health, which is critical for food security and long-term adaptation in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

What makes this model particularly relevant for PICTs is its practicality and scalability. It does not rely on high-cost external inputs but instead builds local capacity, integrates customary stewardship and aligns with government policy frameworks. The system can be replicated across islands using a consistent training, deployment and governance approach.

Supported by drone-enabled monitoring and AI self learning data collection, AVOI’s model provides a cost-effective, community-led solution that connects restoration, climate resilience and sustainable economic opportunity in a way that is both locally grounded and nationally scalable.

How is this solution innovative?

AVOI’s solution is innovative because it integrates community workforce development, marine restoration and applied technology into a single, scalable delivery model tailored for island environments. Rather than treating conservation, employment and climate adaptation as separate challenges, AVOI combines them through the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program and locally delivered Reef Ball restoration systems. This creates a practical pathway where communities are directly trained and employed to restore and monitor their own marine ecosystems. The model also incorporates drone-enabled monitoring and emerging AI-supported survey systems to improve data collection, ecological tracking and rapid response capability, including in remote and disaster-affected areas. This blend of low-cost, locally sourced restoration methods with advanced monitoring technology allows for both accessibility and scientific rigour. What makes the approach particularly innovative is its focus on scalability and replication. By developing a standardised training, deployment and governance framework, AVOI provides a repeatable model based on a National AVOI Play book that can be adapted across Pacific Island Countries, helping translate policy into measurable, community-led climate and environmental outcomes.

How can the innovation be replicated and scaled up in other PICTs

AVOI’s model is designed for replication across Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) through a structured, partnership-driven and capacity-focused approach. Following an initial two-year proof-of-concept in Vanuatu, AVOI will develop a refined National PICT Playbook outlining standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safe work method statements (SWMS), delivered in both English and Bislama, with visual and pictorial elements to ensure accessibility across diverse communities.

Scaling will be enabled through institutional partnerships with government agencies, regional bodies, scientific partners such as UTS, and local stakeholders, supported by blended financing models including public-private partnerships, eco-tourism revenue streams and conservation funding.

A key component is the development of a simplified, citizen science-based survey framework focused on key indicator species. This approach lowers technical barriers, enabling participation from communities with varying levels of formal education while strengthening data collection and stewardship.

By combining local workforce training, accessible science, and standardised systems, AVOI creates a practical, low-cost model that can be adapted regionally, empowering communities while supporting climate resilience, biodiversity restoration and sustainable economic development across PICTs.

Is your solution cost‑effective and affordable in the context of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)?

AVOI’s solution is designed to be highly cost-effective and affordable for communities, local governments and small operators across PICTs. A core principle of the model is the use of locally available materials, including aggregates from regional quarries and, where appropriate, surplus or repurposed government materials. This significantly reduces construction and deployment costs for Reef Ball systems and associated infrastructure.

From an end-user perspective, the model lowers financial barriers by building local capability through the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger Camp Initiative and subsequent program, reducing reliance on external expertise and enabling communities to deliver and maintain restoration activities themselves. The integration of eco-tourism also creates revenue-generating opportunities that can help offset ongoing costs.

Affordability is further strengthened through the development of a streamlined cross-departmental approval pathway within the AVOI Playbook. By providing clear guidance on site selection, environmental considerations and standardised processes, local governments can reduce delays, duplication and administrative costs, enabling more efficient project delivery at scale.

Together, these elements create a low-cost, accessible and sustainable model that is practical for widespread adoption across PICTs.

Where is this being piloted?

AVOI’s solution is being piloted in Vanuatu, with Havannah Harbour (North-West Efate) identified as the primary proof-of-concept site, supported by a permanent operational and training hub at Lot 149, Lapita Estate. While over 1,000,000 Reef Balls have been deployed globally across more than 80 countries, this will be the first integrated deployment of this system in Vanuatu. The pilot combines initial baseline surveys across 12 regions using Reef Life Survey (RLS Methodology) prior to any deployments. Once 6 of the sites are selected for deployment we will deploy 50m x 10m of Reef Ball habitat restoration—designed as a 500+ year solution—, allowing us to. Continue to conduct 6 monthly replicated surveys in exactly the same 50m transects to demonstrate recruitment changes providing proof of concept. Together with the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program, which trains and employs local Ni-Vanuatu to deliver restoration, monitoring and stewardship, supported by drone-enabled surveying, community engagement and eco-tourism integration. The approach is intentionally holistic, linking marine restoration, climate resilience, workforce development, local supply chains and government coordination into a single, place-based model. The Havannah Harbour pilot will be used to refine systems, demonstrate measurable outcomes and establish a scalable framework for national and regional replication across PICTs, through the development of our AVOI National Playbook, helping guide replication across all our satellite sites. Initial training will be conducted through AVOI Headquarters in Havannah Harbour, with Ranger selection conducted through a multi-day conservation camp where participant will all leave with new knowledge and appreciation for the terrestrial and marine environment, and Ocean Rangers selected for employment within the AVOI team at the conclusion of the camps.