Climate Change Resilience
2 December 2014, Lima, Peru - Over 12,000 delegates are said to have registered for the 20th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Some have even quoted numbers as high as 15,000. Given the large range of attendance there are many that visit the Pacific booth hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), some of them visit as they feel comfortable calling the Pacific islands "home".
One lady from Taiwan is now known by a name she was christened when volunteering in Tuvalu from 2009 to 2011. Ms. Tali Wu found the COP 20 in Lima to be an opportunity to meet up with friends she made while volunteering in the Environmental Department.
"I helped in many different environment work areas, from waste management to helping with planting vegetables and working with representatives from international organisations that visited Tuvalu for work. Most importantly to me was the work we did many times to plant mangroves, helping to restore and strengthen the coastlines in Tuvalu."
"It was a privilege for me to work in Tuvalu, and given it was an island I was very close to the Ocean which reminded me many times of my birthplace. I felt close to home. Now coming to the COP and seeing many of my Tuvaluan friends has brought back many memories of living there."
Ms. Nalini Singh, Programme Manager, Advocacy and Capacity Building of Arrow, the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women is also attending the COP 20 in Lima, Peru - her very first UN Climate Convention.
From Fiji, Ms. Singh used to work for the Regional Rights Resource Team in Suva over a decade ago. Now based in Malaysia, she is attending the COP, one of a team of 10 from around the globe who are part of the Population and Sustainable Development Alliance Group.
"Climate change is a key emerging issue for the Asia Pacific region and we believe that how this links with sexual reproductive health and rights for women and young people is being overlooked," said Ms. Singh.
"If we look at it in the context of disasters which have a link to climate change, we believe the responses need to address the sexual reproductive health and rights for women. We are here to help talk about gender issues in relation to climate change and it's up to us to map out what needs to be done and how to translate the results from these climate change negotiations to reflect our issues."
At the core of the climate negotiations over the next two weeks is the legacy of a planet that is sustainable for our people. Through this series we hope to bring you stories from people, familiar faces at COP 20 who call the Pacific islands "home".
Ms. Tali Wu, a familiar face in Tuvalu
One lady from Taiwan is now known by a name she was christened when volunteering in Tuvalu from 2009 to 2011. Ms. Tali Wu found the COP 20 in Lima to be an opportunity to meet up with friends she made while volunteering in the Environmental Department.
"I helped in many different environment work areas, from waste management to helping with planting vegetables and working with representatives from international organisations that visited Tuvalu for work. Most importantly to me was the work we did many times to plant mangroves, helping to restore and strengthen the coastlines in Tuvalu."
"It was a privilege for me to work in Tuvalu, and given it was an island I was very close to the Ocean which reminded me many times of my birthplace. I felt close to home. Now coming to the COP and seeing many of my Tuvaluan friends has brought back many memories of living there."
Ms. Nalini Singh from Fiji now based in Malaysia
Ms. Nalini Singh, Programme Manager, Advocacy and Capacity Building of Arrow, the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women is also attending the COP 20 in Lima, Peru - her very first UN Climate Convention.
From Fiji, Ms. Singh used to work for the Regional Rights Resource Team in Suva over a decade ago. Now based in Malaysia, she is attending the COP, one of a team of 10 from around the globe who are part of the Population and Sustainable Development Alliance Group.
"Climate change is a key emerging issue for the Asia Pacific region and we believe that how this links with sexual reproductive health and rights for women and young people is being overlooked," said Ms. Singh.
"If we look at it in the context of disasters which have a link to climate change, we believe the responses need to address the sexual reproductive health and rights for women. We are here to help talk about gender issues in relation to climate change and it's up to us to map out what needs to be done and how to translate the results from these climate change negotiations to reflect our issues."
At the core of the climate negotiations over the next two weeks is the legacy of a planet that is sustainable for our people. Through this series we hope to bring you stories from people, familiar faces at COP 20 who call the Pacific islands "home".