In this series, we will be introducing you to some of our Pacific island negotiators and delegates, who are the people representing our islands at the Climate Change negotiations now underway.
The Twenty-fifth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP25) is hosted in Madrid, Spain from 2 – 13 December, 2019.
Pacific negotiators and delegates have been working in the rooms amplifying our Pacific voice and our Pacific asks. We hope you enjoy this series getting to know more of our Pacific Island negotiators and delegates.
Name: Mii Kino
Country: Cook Islands
Q: How did you come to be involved in the space of climate change?
A: I work with Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Development Coordination Division and we monitor overseas development funds to implement projects in the Cook Islands and as a young staff of our office I was asked to attend a youth workshop on climate change for the Pacific in New Zealand Wellington, early this year and that was my first time ever hearing, learning or just even really grasping the concept of climate change with all the youth in the Pacific who attended universities in New Zealand. I was intrigued, eventually my name was submitted to the o the office and one of our development programme managers who works for climate change, I asked if I could work alongside them and they requested my name for the Women’s Environment and Economic Development (WEDO) workshop to prepare for the COP and that’s how I came to be here.
Q: What is an issue/issues that have come out of COP25 that is of interest to you?
A: As I work for finance, I followed climate finance, I attended side events at the GCF on finance and the results of getting funds for the projects. I went off course and I sat in a youth and gender workshop that one of the pavilions had and that was interesting to me. I wanted to expose myself to many other side events being in coordination or workshops in the high technical areas.
Q: What advice would you have for other Pacific island youth who would also like to have their voices heard in this space?
A: As we have a very good delegation, they really encourage and advise that as they are not able to explore the other areas of the COP they gave us the opportunity and the privilege to see and explore the different events and things happening that I am interested in. This gave me the opportunity to look at things that I am interested in and what I can take back and build on when I go home. I would encourage others to do the same, you learn a lot of things that will be a benefit to you and the country – it will be an advantage for you.