Climate Change Resilience
The Pacific islands are calling for an international revolution in the way the world deals with climate change through the Lifou Declaration, which was an outcome of the Oceania 21 meeting held in New Caledonia this month.
Bringing together 17 Pacific island governments, development partners and regional agencies the third Oceania 21 meeting focused on a stronger Pacific voice to the Climate Change Convention in Paris in December.
“We acknowledge the international community’s effort to combat climate change, but we recognise the following are still inadequate for vulnerable developing countries, in particular the Small Island Developing States: insufficient funding for mitigation and adaptation policy implementation, insufficient capacity building and transfer of technological advances, weaknesses of existing measures in terms of loss and damages as well as the lack of inclusion of civil society in climate negotiations,” reads the Lifou Declaration that was signed by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Wallis and Futuna.
“Endorsement of this Declaration developed by different Pacific governments, development partners and regional agencies indicates a unity in the Pacific to bring about a strong and ambitious global climate agreement at the end of this year,” said Mr. David Sheppard the Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“We were proud to be a part of this Oceania 21 meeting which covered a wide range of issues all contributing to the Pacific Voyage to the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
A delegation of five from SPREP took part in the Oceania 21 meeting, including the SPREP Youth Ambassador Ms. Brianna Fruean, for whom this was her first official activity in this role.
Ms. Fruean represented SPREP at the table when the discussions on the Lifou Declaration addressed the role of youth on climate change.
“I was honoured to be part of Oceania 21. I was welcomed by the SPREP team and all participants at this event and can only hope that I represented our Pacific youth well at this meeting. Our voice needs to be heard at all times, we need to be a part of this decision making process because we are the ones that will be living with the decisions made on our behalf, this generation and future generations to come,” said Ms. Fruean.
“I thank SPREP and Oceania 21 for giving us a platform to share our voice.”
Oceania 21 was held in Noumea, New Caledonia from 28 – 30 April this year and was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. Day one of the event centered on Cyclone Pam and Typhoon Maysak, day two of the event saw three different forum discussions take place and the final day was a Leaders retreat and then closing plenary which finalised and endorsed the Lifou Document.
The SPREP delegation was led by Mr. Sheppard and included Mr. Michael Donoghue, Threatened and Migratory Species Adviser; Mr. Espen Ronneberg, Climate Change Adviser; Ms. Nanette Woonton, Media and Public Relations Officer; and Ms. Brianna Fruean, SPREP’s Youth Ambassador.
Blog by Ms. Brianna Fruean, SPREP Youth Ambassador on the Oceania 21 and the Lifou Declaration
"Do you find yourself making comments in your head about something while you’re reading it? Well this happens to me on a daily basis but during the Oceania 21 I was actually given the opportunity to speak my comments out loud and change something I thought I’d never get to change until I was given a leaders title.
During the adoption and presentation of the Lifou declaration today the Director-General of SPREP gave me the opportunity to seat in his seat during the negotiation of the youth paragraphs. I was able to make interventions about some of the language as well as adding in what I was thinking.
This meant so much for not just me but youth in general that we were given a seat at the table.
Normally youth may be seen at conferences but are not always heard.
The final Lifou declaration had two paragraphs specifically on youth which I personally feel is a big move forward compared to other documents with no mention of youth. I personally think this declaration is a great step forward for our islands leading up to Paris and most of all puts pacific youth in very good position for their voices to be heard at the Conference of the Parties on climate change and other international environment treaty agreements and meetings following that.” – Ms. Brianna Fruean
Bringing together 17 Pacific island governments, development partners and regional agencies the third Oceania 21 meeting focused on a stronger Pacific voice to the Climate Change Convention in Paris in December.
The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Hon. Henry Puna. The Cook Islands were one of 11 Pacific island countries and territories to sign on to the Lifou Document upon the closing of Ocenania 21
“We acknowledge the international community’s effort to combat climate change, but we recognise the following are still inadequate for vulnerable developing countries, in particular the Small Island Developing States: insufficient funding for mitigation and adaptation policy implementation, insufficient capacity building and transfer of technological advances, weaknesses of existing measures in terms of loss and damages as well as the lack of inclusion of civil society in climate negotiations,” reads the Lifou Declaration that was signed by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Wallis and Futuna.
“Endorsement of this Declaration developed by different Pacific governments, development partners and regional agencies indicates a unity in the Pacific to bring about a strong and ambitious global climate agreement at the end of this year,” said Mr. David Sheppard the Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“We were proud to be a part of this Oceania 21 meeting which covered a wide range of issues all contributing to the Pacific Voyage to the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
A delegation of five from SPREP took part in the Oceania 21 meeting, including the SPREP Youth Ambassador Ms. Brianna Fruean, for whom this was her first official activity in this role.
Ms. Fruean represented SPREP at the table when the discussions on the Lifou Declaration addressed the role of youth on climate change.
“I was honoured to be part of Oceania 21. I was welcomed by the SPREP team and all participants at this event and can only hope that I represented our Pacific youth well at this meeting. Our voice needs to be heard at all times, we need to be a part of this decision making process because we are the ones that will be living with the decisions made on our behalf, this generation and future generations to come,” said Ms. Fruean.
“I thank SPREP and Oceania 21 for giving us a platform to share our voice.”
Oceania 21 was held in Noumea, New Caledonia from 28 – 30 April this year and was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. Day one of the event centered on Cyclone Pam and Typhoon Maysak, day two of the event saw three different forum discussions take place and the final day was a Leaders retreat and then closing plenary which finalised and endorsed the Lifou Document.
The SPREP delegation was led by Mr. Sheppard and included Mr. Michael Donoghue, Threatened and Migratory Species Adviser; Mr. Espen Ronneberg, Climate Change Adviser; Ms. Nanette Woonton, Media and Public Relations Officer; and Ms. Brianna Fruean, SPREP’s Youth Ambassador.
Blog by Ms. Brianna Fruean, SPREP Youth Ambassador on the Oceania 21 and the Lifou Declaration
"Do you find yourself making comments in your head about something while you’re reading it? Well this happens to me on a daily basis but during the Oceania 21 I was actually given the opportunity to speak my comments out loud and change something I thought I’d never get to change until I was given a leaders title.
During the adoption and presentation of the Lifou declaration today the Director-General of SPREP gave me the opportunity to seat in his seat during the negotiation of the youth paragraphs. I was able to make interventions about some of the language as well as adding in what I was thinking.
This meant so much for not just me but youth in general that we were given a seat at the table.
Normally youth may be seen at conferences but are not always heard.
The final Lifou declaration had two paragraphs specifically on youth which I personally feel is a big move forward compared to other documents with no mention of youth. I personally think this declaration is a great step forward for our islands leading up to Paris and most of all puts pacific youth in very good position for their voices to be heard at the Conference of the Parties on climate change and other international environment treaty agreements and meetings following that.” – Ms. Brianna Fruean