At its 27th Session, the Intergovernmental Coordinating Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS-XXVII, Tahiti, French Polynesia, March 2017) re-established the PTWS Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation for Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) with a new name change, to replace “Southwest Pacific” to “Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)”. At the kind invitation of the Government of Solomon Islands, the the ICG/PTWS Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (ICG/PTWS-WG PICTs) will hold its 5th meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands from 7 to 8 August 2017. It will be followed by the 5th Meeting of PTWS Working Group 2 Task Team on Seismic Data Sharing in the Southwest Pacific on 9 August 2017 and a closed meeting on the Oceania Regional Seismic Network (ORSNET) on 10 August, 2017. The above three meetings will be held at the Honiara Hotel. The meetings are being organised just prior to the 4th Meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-4) and 2nd Ministerial Meeting on Meteorology which are to be held in Honiara on 14–18 August 2017. This is to enable National Meteorological Services (NMSs) which also have Tsunami responsibilities to participate in both the IOC and SPREP/WMO organised events. The Regional Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation in the PICTs has the following Terms of Reference: 1. To continually review and evaluate capabilities of and make recommendations for improvements to countries in the Pacific Islands and Territories (PICT) Region for providing end-to-end tsunami warning and mitigation services. 2. To support the involvement and contribution of PICT countries in the activities of the ICG/PTWS. 3. To promote and facilitate the tsunami hazard and risk studies in the PICT region. 4. To facilitate cooperation in the establishment and upgrading of seismic and sea-level stations and networks in the region, and the interoperability of these systems in accordance with ICG/PTWS requirements. 5. To facilitate training and capacity building in the end-to-end tsunami warning and mitigation system in the region. 6. To encourage the sharing of tsunami information, including but not limited to the free and open exchange of data. 7. To facilitate tsunami awareness in school curricula, and development and dissemination of public educational materials. 8. To work in cooperation with PTWS Working Groups 2 & 3, and relevant task teams especially on activities that strengthen country capacity in tsunami warning, risk mitigation and emergency response. The Working Group is composed of representatives from Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) as members, and agencies of the Council of the Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP) and WMO Regional Association V (RA V) as observers. The working group Chair and Vice-Chair were elected by the group members and were endorsed by the ICG/PTWS at its 27th Session: Mr Ofa Faanunu (Tonga) as Chair and Mr Jerome Aucan (France—New Caledonia) as Vice-Chair. The following PICTs are currently IOC Members: Australia, Cooks Islands, Fiji, France (French Polynesia, New Caledonia), Kiribati, New Zealand, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vanuatu.

no event notes available