Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), CBD COP16 High Level Segment Statement
Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Senior Officials, Delegates,
We come together in Cali to call for a renewed and strengthened commitment to biodiversity conservation, with particular focus on the unique and irreplaceable ecosystems found on islands and oceans. Island and Ocean biodiversity holds immense global value. Islands and their biodiversity and oceanic ecosystems are what allowed us to settle and call our Pacific islands our home. On them we developed our unique island cultures and heritage over the millennia we have lived there. Maintaining island biodiversity and oceanic ecosystems remains the best way of naturally building resilience in the face of environmental and climate change.
We are here because our islands are under a dire threat, In, 2022, Pacific Island Leaders declared a regional state of climate emergency while globally we face the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. This regional emergency and global crises require our collective, integrated, ambitious and urgent action.
Pacific Island Leaders approved the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as our response and as the framework for our sustainable development through strengthened partnerships, collaboration and coordination to deliver the priorities of the Pacific. All Partners and entities who work in and support work in the Pacific are expected to work with us through this framework.
We need to increase resource and investment in the conservation and sustainable management of island and ocean biodiversity. Historically the CBD has been skewed towards terrestrial conservation, but ocean science and knowledge has increased, and we need to utilise this increase to get more equal weighting for marine and ocean conservation. Evidence that the balance is not right is clear in that SDG 14 is the least resourced of SDGS. Where ocean science and knowledge still lag then the precautionary principle needs to be invoked. Dedicated resources to support every aspect of conservation – from planning and monitoring to reporting and reviewing. Adequate funding will not only ensure effective conservation strategies but will also enable deeper understanding of the ecological, economic, and cultural values of island and ocean biodiversity. Such an understanding is essential if we are to make informed, evidence-based decisions that align with the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) biodiversity goals and fulfill our responsibilities to current and future generations.
We advocate for a separate decision on island biodiversity to allow time for meaningful discussion of priority ecosystems and species that are globally significant. By allocating dedicated time and resources, we can thoroughly address the gaps identified in both the marine and coastal programs of work and ensure that our actions are effectively targeted. We also call for expanded research cooperation and inclusive science-policy dialogue, supported by a commitment to open science and respectful cross-knowledge exchange, as outlined in our Pacific Islands Framework for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas. This also ensures that You as the Conference of Parties to the Convention remain true to the special case You gave to SIDS under the Convention.
We need consensus in Cali for on an action plan for 30x30 if we are to have any chance of meeting the target. We cannot continue to just talk to each other as conservationists. In the Ocean Space we need to engage and be prepared to work with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), fishing and shipping industry groups to find win-win or at least cost neutral solutions to set up these MPAs. The opportunities presented by BBNJ to make large gains towards the target must be seized in the Pacific Islands we have existing regional architecture well able to support the establishment of MPAs that encompass our High Sea Pockets. Traditional knowledge, practices and management systems will play a large part in achieving these targets in the Pacific.
We are honoured to be designated as the Oceania Centre for Technical and Scientific Cooperation, recognizing that this is a role we have done for thirty years as the Intergovernmental Environment Organisation formed by Pacific Island States to serve their needs. We welcomed the tremendous opportunity offered through this COP decision not only to meet regional needs and build capacity but also to work collectively with other regional centres. As the creator of these Centres, COP must ensure they are given long term core funding and resources to effectively operate. This is the reason I have not yet agreed to accept this honour – we are prepared and able to seek additional resources, but the core funding and resources modalities must come as a decision of COP. You may ask why I stress this point but only a fool makes the same mistake repeatedly. We have been designated a technical centre twice by other MEAs, but the lack of dedicated long-term financing and resourcing prevents us from reaching its intended full potential. I hope COP can make this decision so we can accept the honour of becoming the Oceania Regional Centre with certainty of reaching our full potential.
We are looking forward as a regional centre to strengthen the equity and inclusivity of our scientific and technical capacity. Women remain underrepresented in many scientific fields, and youth engagement needs much improvement to ensure they are engaged and leads to them being inspired to take the baton. Knowledge is knowledge and traditional knowledge will be given the same status as science, in fact affirmative action is necessary to address our neglect of our traditional knowledge and its associated management and institutional arrangements. Urbanisation means that the traditional settings and structures for learning, maintaining and transferring knowledge need to be adapted.
In conclusion, we reaffirm our commitment as a Partner and facilitator to the Convention and our Global Biodiversity Framework. I thank you.
___________________________________________________________________
Short Statement delivered at CBD COP16 High Level Segment
Let me begin by thanking the President and the people of Colombia for being such wonderful hosts and especially the President for eloquently stating why we should all be here. We need to reset our relationship with biodiversity and nature, and we need to go back to the relationships we used to have with nature. There is a word from the Pacific, from my country Fiji, that the world has borrowed, that word is ‘tabu’. The meaning of this word is sacred and that is how we should be looking at nature and biodiversity.
We are here today from the Pacific because our islands are under dire threat, in 2022 our Pacific Island leaders declared a regional state of climate emergency on top of the global triple planetary crisis we all face. The regional emergency and global crisis require our collective, integrated, urgent and ambitious action. Pacific Island leaders approved the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as our response, and as the framework for our sustainable development, through strengthened partnerships, collaboration and coordination to deliver the priorities of the Pacific. All partners and entities who work and support work in the Pacific are invited to work with us through this framework.
We need to urgently increase resources for oceans and islands, SDG 14 is the least resourced of all SDG’s. Historically, CBD has emphasised terrestrial conservation because we had more knowledge on terrestrial issues and the terrestrial environment. We now have a lot more knowledge of the ocean and coastal and marine environments, we need to ensure we bring balance into the resourcing of both terrestrial and marine and ocean biodiversity. Adequate funding needs to be put in so we can address island issues. We advocate for a separate decision on island biodiversity to allow time for meaningful discussion of priority ecosystems and species that are globally significant. Coral reefs are under dire threat, if we are not careful, we will lose them altogether. We need to have urgent action on coral reefs and here in Cali, Colombia we need to come forward with clear targets on 30 x 30.
We are honoured to be designated as the Oceania Centre of Technical and Scientific Cooperation under the CBD, this is a role we have been doing since we were first formed 31 years ago as SPREP, but it is good to be formally recognised as a global centre. This was a decision of COP, and we hope that COP will also make a decision to adequately resource these centres to fully meet the aspirations we all have in setting them up.
I thank you.