28 August 2024, Pohnpei, FSM - A successful National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) must be inclusive, and take into account all voices, including women, children and the most vulnerable members of the community.
“The impacts of climate change affects everyone and that means everyone should have a say in our country’s national plan to adapt for our survival,” said Ms Cindy Ehmes, of FSM’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management (DECEM).
Ms Ehmes is participating in the three-day FSM NAP Inception and Implementation Planning Workshop being held at the Tuna Commission Conference Room in Kolonia from 26-28 August 2024. The workshop is designed to introduce the project, its objectives, activities, intended outputs, approaches and timeline. It will also be an opportunity to consult with national stakeholders on project direction and exchange knowledge of adaptation gaps and needs, challenges and lessons learnt from similar projects, and exchange knowledge on key attributes of the adaptation planning process.
Ms Ehmes comes from the atoll island of Mwoakilloa. Formerly known as Mokil, it is 2.8 miles long and 1.7 miles at its widest point. The impacts of climate change is a daily lived reality.
“From my island, we’re experiencing extreme heat and many people are leaving because they have been affected by climate change,” said Ms Ehmes. “We are suffering as a result of king tides, droughts, and people are moving to other places where they have a better chance of survival and a better life. Food sources have also been affected and that is one of the biggest pressing issues we face.
“For a successful NAP outcome from these discussions, I want this plan to address the vulnerability needs of everybody, that includes men, women, children, young people and the vulnerable communities so that together, we can all adapt to the impacts of climate change.”
Ms Sendilina Andy Lekka, Project Manager of FSM’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Project and a former Pohnpei Senator, agrees about the importance of community engagement and inclusivity in the approach towards climate change adaptation.
“I cannot speak for other islands in FSM but I can share my views from the lens of Pohnpei and I feel that it’s very important to include the voices of women, young people and children,” she said. “I acknowledge that because of our cultural uniqueness men still provide the solid base support in our country but women, youth and children are the frontliners, they are active groups that can do the work, share the work and make a big difference. It’s very important for them to become involved so we can meet our climate vulnerabilities adaptation objectives.”
The NAP process seeks to identify medium- and long-term adaptation needs, informed by the latest climate science. Once major vulnerabilities to climate change have been identified, the NAP process develops strategies to address them.
“For me, participation and the engagement of everyone in the community, like what we are doing now is very important to come up with a successful outcome. The work we are doing here gives me hope, it encourages me to do what we need to do, so inclusivity and participation are crucial.”
FSM is made up of the four states, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae and 600 islands. With more 113,815 people across the islands, women, children and youth make up a significant portion of the population.
Gender Specialist, Ms Norleen Oliver, who also works for the FSM Development Bank, said this should be a key consideration of the National Adaptation Plan.
“Climate change is real and is happening as we see. We’ve expressed a lot of our fears this week about climate change impacts and I hope this workshop will inform our planning in terms of how we can mitigate and adapt to ensure we are able to cope when the time comes,” she said.
“I think it’s important that all the different population groups are represented because they’re all different. It’s important that we walk away from here with a plan that covers everyone and can be used by all communities and I believe the engagement of all members of the communities will also give the Government an indication of what needs to be done and inform their work.”
The project is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and delivered by the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP).