South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission

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

SOPAC was created by the conclusion of a 1990 multilateral treaty known as the Agreement establishing the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission.

Since SOPAC's foundation, American Samoa, France, French Polynesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Tokelau, United States, and Wallis and Futuna have accepted the Agreement and thereby joined SOPAC.

Benefits accrue to SPC members 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 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.