Fiji is urging world leaders again on the need for investment funds to assist in protecting food systems, agricultural productivity and water supplies.
This was highlighted by the Prime Minister Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka while delivering his opening statement at the Pacific Small Islands Developing States High Level Dialogue on Climate Change held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva today.
“We need support as well to build infrastructure to withstand the intensifying effects of rising sea levels, extreme weather and the shifting dynamics of the ocean.”
“I go further and call for a special fund dedicated to assisting our Island nations. It would enable us to act swiftly to adjust to and protect against the creeping climate menace. Early warning systems must be set up along with evacuation plans and community adaptation training.”
“This crisis relentlessly eats away at our shores and coastal areas. Six Fijian villages have already been relocated. Forty-two are earmarked to be removed in the next five to ten years.”
“I make the point that in many ways we have to be more self-reliant. We can’t blame others for problems that we have caused ourselves.”
“Drainage problems that lead to flooding must be fixed by us. We are doing more to preserve and enlarge our mangrove forests that provide natural coastal protection. Volunteers regularly clean up shorelines littered with rubbish. The littering has spread widely, converting parts of our landscape into shameful eyesores.”
As Pacific leaders gather in Suva to discuss climate change, a real threat to the islands, their people, and their way of life, PM Rabuka stressed that we in the region are motivated by the need for alternative solutions.
He thanked the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and regional partners for supporting and helping Fiji co-host this high-Level dialogue on climate change.
COP 28 Director General and Special Representative, Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi reaffirmed the unwavering commitment to Fiji to the Pacific Island community, and to the vulnerable countries at large.
Mr Suwaidi highlighted communities here, on the frontlines of climate change, are facing sea level rise, salination of drinking water, coastal erosion, and the increasing severity of storms.
Mr Suwaidi further added that UAE’s Presidential Action Agenda includes four priorities that will define our approach to COP28.
· Priority one focuses on fast-tracking a just energy transition, and it includes the hallmark goal of tripling global renewable energy capacity.
· Priority two is focused on fixing climate finance and ensuring that those most vulnerable are able to access and afford the resources needed to deliver results.
· Priority three is about putting people and communities back at the heart of climate action, and it includes refocusing efforts on adaptation, loss and damage. It also elevates issues around health, food, nature, and water, which are all sorely impacted by climate change.