Referring to the latest UN Secretary-Normal’s report Our Common Agenda, for a greater, greener, and safer future for all, Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia V. Bainimarama outlined what that imaginative and prescient means for his nation.
“We wish islands inhabited by residents who stand with nature and never towards it. We wish sustainable financial progress that’s powered by clear power and protected against the impacts of local weather change. We wish strong and resilient well being programs, and we wish good jobs and earnings supported by a inexperienced and blue economic system.”
Fiji: ‘New frontiers of co-operation’
Nevertheless, the world is on a course which is pushing that future even additional out of attain, he warned. The brand new coronavirus is “burning by humanity like a bushfire –– and inequity is fanning the flames”, whereas climate-driven catastrophes akin to floods, heatwaves, fires and cyclones, have killed lots of this yr alone and brought about immense injury.
“We should discover new frontiers of co-operation if we stand any likelihood of averting future pandemics – or staving off the worst of local weather change,” mentioned Mr. Bainimarama in a pre-recorded assertion.
“If Small States are to construct again greener, bluer, and higher, we’ll want an equal voice about and vote on selections that decide our future. Small States want our pursuits heard, understood, and acted upon.”
Full assertion here.
Vanuatu: Jobs in jeopardy
Simply weeks after the pandemic was declared in March 2020, Tropical Cyclone Harold struck Vanuatu, inflicting intensive devastation to the archipelago earlier than hitting the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga.
Like many Pacific Island nations, Vanuatu was in a position to hold COVID-19 at bay by swift lockdown measures, however these have “crippled” the native economic system, Prime Minister Bob Loughman Weibur mentioned in his pre-recorded tackle.
Quickly closing the nation’s worldwide borders “meant transitioning from a well being risk to an financial emergency”, he mentioned, with many companies, notably those who depend on tourism, successfully shuttered.
“No vacationer arrivals and a decreased resident neighborhood instantly impacted the hospitality and building sectors, placing no less than 8,000 formal jobs in jeopardy and affecting the livelihoods of tens of hundreds of individuals within the casual sector. For greater than 1,000 licensed handicraft artisans, their incomes plummeted to near-zero.”
Full assertion here.
Tonga fears sea-level rise
Although it stays COVID-19 free, Tonga underlined its robust dedication to multilateralism. Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa expressed condolences to, and solidarity with, all international locations which have misplaced residents to the illness whereas additionally confronting “unprecedented pure disasters and different tragedies.”
Tonga, which has a inhabitants of round 105,000, obtained vaccinations by the worldwide solidarity initiative, COVAX. Roughly one-third of the inhabitants has been inoculated thus far, and the goal is to succeed in as much as 70 per cent by the top of subsequent yr.
However the Prime Minister famous that Tonga is ranked the world’s second most at-risk nation in the case of pure disasters akin to cyclones, flooding and sea stage rise. Subsequently, assembly the objectives of the Paris Agreement on local weather change, which seeks to restrict international temperature rise to 1.5 levels above pre-industrial ranges, is a precedence, although the nation’s contribution to greenhouse gasoline emissions is negligible.
“Ought to international locations fail to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, presenting a excessive emissions state of affairs, it’s extremely probably that this may end in a rise on common of sea stage – 5 instances that in low emissions, and such isn’t an choice particularly for Tonga and low-lying small island States within the Pacific,” he mentioned.
Full assertion here.
Samoa: COP26 should not be a ‘discuss store’
Fiame Naomi Mataafa, Prime Minister and Minister for International Affairs and Commerce for Samoa. Stated that for Pacific communities, the true problem isn’t about securing extra scientific proof, setting new international targets and extra discuss retailers.
“It’s about motion for survival, and all of us have to shoulder our tasks and play our half,” she mentioned, including: “The massive polluters and emitters have to exhibit extra dedication and management.”
The Prime Minster went on to say that the rise and frequency of pure disasters and environmental threats are seemingly solely going to worsen. The latest report from the IPCC, the UN local weather change panel, had proven that international greenhouse gasoline emissions should be halved within the subsequent decade and to succeed in zero emissions by midcentury if the promise of 1.5 levels Celsius is to stay inside attain.
“The upcoming COP in Glasgow is our level of no return. Our commitments from there onwards will decide the longer term trajectory of our planet. Can we keep away from a local weather disaster in our youngsters’s lifetime?”
Ms. Mataafa mentioned the United Nations should perceive and respect the distinctive cultures and variety of small island nations “and embrace our variations to assist construct the longer term we wish by partnerships, multilateralism and united worldwide cooperation are our greatest response to the various threats we face.” Samoa, she mentioned, was assured that regardless of all of the challenges even existential threats ‘there’s nonetheless hope if there’s unity amongst our UN household.”
Full assertion here.
Tuvalu asks: How robust will the subsequent cyclone be?
Prime Minister Kausea Natano earlier than asking the Meeting: “How robust will the subsequent tropical cyclone be? What about our conventional tradition and heritage? What’s going to occur to us? What’s going to occur to our human rights? Will Tuvalu stay a member of the of the UN whether it is lastly submerged? Who will help us, and can they assist us?”
These are legitimate however tough ethical and political questions tens of millions of individuals in low mendacity coastal areas proceed to grapple with. “Till we’ve solutions, sustainable growth for us will solely be wishful pondering and a short-term purpose operating on borrowed time. Not a actuality we are able to accomplish,” he acknowledged.
However all hope was not misplaced, Mr. Natano, mentioned, and declared that “Tuvalu will cope and adapt. Statelessness isn’t an choice for Tuvalu, and I’m certain it isn’t an choice for any of us right here at present.”
The worldwide neighborhood should now take into account options to guard the rights of individuals affected by the impacts of local weather change and to keep away from chaotic responses to uncontrolled mass local weather displacement.
“Certainly, the price of steady rebuilding after each tropical storm and adapting to growing sea ranges leaves little fiscal area for funding within the SDGs, our international local weather actions should deal with the basis causes of local weather change to interrupt this cycle of pricey and steady rebuilding,” defined the Prime Minister, including that one apparent sustainable answer is to cease and reverse growing international temperatures.
Full assertion here.
Solomon Islands: Extra that binds us collectively than divides us
“We stay deeply involved that we’re falling behind in our commitments to the Paris Settlement,” mentioned Manasseh Sogavare, Prime Minister, Solomon Islands, calling strongly on all main greenhouse emitting international locations to take extra formidable motion to position the world on a under 1.5 levels Celsius pathway.
“Sadly, the most recent pattern is driving humanity in direction of a ‘3 levels Celsius world’ which we are able to all agree isn’t the world we want to bequeath to our future generations,” he acknowledged. As such, COP26 presents a chance to operationalize the Paris accord and proceed negotiations on the Paris ‘rule book,’ because the detailed guidelines and procedures for implementing the Settlement are informally identified. They have been adopted in 2018 at COP24 held in Katowice, Poland.
He went on to name for the institution of a typical timeframe for nationally decided contribution, or ‘NDCs’ which embody efforts by every nation to cut back nationwide emissions and adapt to the impacts of local weather change, in addition to for market and non-market negotiations to be concluded. “The time for motion is now.”
Solomon Islands is a big ocean state with a complete Unique Financial Zone masking an space of simply over 1.5 million sq. kilometres. Along with 21 different international locations and territories in that zone, the entire space is sort of 40 million sq. kilometers of ocean.
With that in thoughts, Prime Minister Sogavare mentioned Solomon Islands’ tuna trade generates round $60 million in income yearly and gives employment for two,000 Solomon Islanders. “Our individuals have a multidimensional relationship with the ocean. We acknowledge the climate-ocean nexus and name on the worldwide neighborhood to take stronger local weather motion to guard our oceans.”
Additional he careworn that the devastating influence of plastic air pollution on fragile marine ecosystems demanded a worldwide binding settlement to cut back such air pollution within the ocean.
“As we proceed to confront the issues and challenges that our world faces, starting from local weather change to the deteriorating well being of our planet and the COVID-19 pandemic, we should bear in mind there’s extra that binds us collectively as a human race than divides us. We should dig deep and attain out to one another with fingers of friendship, and we should embrace multilateralism as an essential software to confront international challenges,” the Prime Minister concluded.
Full assertion here.
