Climate Change Resilience
28 April 2015, Noumea, New Caledonia - The third Oceania 21 summit on Sustainable Development opened in New Caledonia today bringing together 17 South Pacific countries to strengthen the Pacific voice at the Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Convention (COP21) in Paris at the end of this year.
“We need to be heard,” said the Hon. Jean-Louis D’Anglebermes, the Vice-President of the Government of New Caledonia at the opening of Oceania 21.
Vice President of New Caledonia, Hon. Jean-Louis D'anglebermes
“This third summit has the mission of adopting and approving the text of a brief and straightforward declaration, called The Lifou Declaration, insisting upon the most ambitious call to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the climate negotiations.”
The three day forum ends with a leaders retreat on Lifou to finalise the Lifou Declaration.
The first day of the Forum is devoted to Tropical Cyclone Pam, with a range of presentations from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia and, development partners.
The second day consists of three discussion forums; Oceanian Communities, Traditional knowledge and climate change; Scientific research an essential decision support tool to address climate change; and Youth: a powerful mobilising force and a source of inspiration in negotiations.
This year the Oceania 21 Meeting is chaired by the Government of Samoa, represented by the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo.
“One of my responsibilities as chairman of the Oceania 21 Meeting is to facilitate and present the Lifou Declaration to the members. A task that we should not take lightly, because although we contribute little to the causes of climate change we are at the forefront of its impacts,” presented the Deputy Prime Minister as he opened the Oceania 21 Summit.
“Our declaration should send a clear signal to the Paris Conference to negotiate in earnest and in good faith so that Paris becomes the conference of action and hope for our islands in 2015.”
The three day forum is held from 28 to 30 April in New Caledonia. The Pacific countries represented at this summit include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
A delegation of five from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is attending Oceania 21 led by Mr. David Sheppard the Director General.
“We need to be heard,” said the Hon. Jean-Louis D’Anglebermes, the Vice-President of the Government of New Caledonia at the opening of Oceania 21.
Vice President of New Caledonia, Hon. Jean-Louis D'anglebermes“This third summit has the mission of adopting and approving the text of a brief and straightforward declaration, called The Lifou Declaration, insisting upon the most ambitious call to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the climate negotiations.”
The three day forum ends with a leaders retreat on Lifou to finalise the Lifou Declaration.
The first day of the Forum is devoted to Tropical Cyclone Pam, with a range of presentations from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia and, development partners.
The second day consists of three discussion forums; Oceanian Communities, Traditional knowledge and climate change; Scientific research an essential decision support tool to address climate change; and Youth: a powerful mobilising force and a source of inspiration in negotiations.
This year the Oceania 21 Meeting is chaired by the Government of Samoa, represented by the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo.
Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa Hon. Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo
“One of my responsibilities as chairman of the Oceania 21 Meeting is to facilitate and present the Lifou Declaration to the members. A task that we should not take lightly, because although we contribute little to the causes of climate change we are at the forefront of its impacts,” presented the Deputy Prime Minister as he opened the Oceania 21 Summit.
“Our declaration should send a clear signal to the Paris Conference to negotiate in earnest and in good faith so that Paris becomes the conference of action and hope for our islands in 2015.”
The three day forum is held from 28 to 30 April in New Caledonia. The Pacific countries represented at this summit include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
A delegation of five from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is attending Oceania 21 led by Mr. David Sheppard the Director General.