This Training Institute will focus on building regional capacity to develop and use forecasts of climate variability and assessments of the consequences of climate change to manage risks associated with extreme events such as droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and high temperatures. This project will involve: (1) development and implementation of a two-week Training Institute to be held at the University of the South Pacific, Suva campus during 2004; (2) development and demonstration of in-country training programs in two-to-three Pacific Island countries; and (3) development and evaluation of modular training programs for use elsewhere in the Pacific and, potentially, in other small island developing states.