2 December 2023, Dubai UAE - A recent visit to the Cook Islands for the 52nd Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting left an indelible mark on the President of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), His Excellency Dennis Francis.
So much so that on the biggest stage of climate change negotiations and diplomacy at COP28, attended by than 70,000 people delegates, he has championed the One Pacific Voice calling for urgent and immediate action from world leaders to address the climate crisis.
“A few weeks ago, it was my privilege to pay a visit to the Cook Islands,” he said. “There – at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, leader after leader spoke, agonizingly, of the real existential threats posed by sea-level rise – itself a direct impact of climate change, but also an indisputable result of our actions or, perhaps more aptly, our inaction.”
The UNGA President made the point when he addressed the World Climate Action Summit at COP28 on Friday, attended by more than 170 Heads of States and Government leaders.
“As a citizen of a Small Island Developing State, I am acutely aware that, on our current trajectory, those islands – and the wealth of culture and history they represent – are at peril of imminent disappearance through inundation by the seas,” said Mr Francis. “The scenario presented by the UNEP Emissions Gap Report of a 3-degree world, is not science fiction – it is the path we are on. We must change this trajectory.”
COP28 is taking place at a time when humanity is breaking all the wrong records on climate change. According to the 2023 edition of the Emissions Gap Report, greenhouse gas emissions and the global average temperature are hitting new highs, while extreme weather events are occurring more often, developing faster and becoming more intense.
For PSIDS, this compounds conditions that threaten their very existence. The IPCC, in its AR6 Synthesis Report, noted that above a global temperature rise of 1.5°C, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) regions face impacts which may be irreversible.
The UNGA President reiterated that there is no time to waste.
“For far too long, leaders across the spectrum have stood at podiums such as this and made grand commitments that capture public opinion, only to be found, upon subsequent examination, to be either short or totally lacking in implementation,” said Mr Francis.
“We are long past the time for climate diplomacy through public relations. Action, progressive, transformative action, is needed now to stabilize atmospheric temperatures and to ensure sustainability of the planet and of human civilization. It is time for a once-in-a-generation change. Pervasive evidence indicates that we have, at least academically, rethought the way we live, the way we produce, and the way we consume on this planet.”
Delegates meeting in Dubai agreed on Thursday to the operationalisation of a fund that would help compensate vulnerable countries coping with loss and damage caused by climate change, a major breakthrough on the first day of this year’s COP.
Mr Francis said the agreement on Loss and Damage represents hope.
“I welcome the capitalisation of the Fund for Loss and Damage. Developing countries deserve no less. I make the plea, let us continue to build on this success, let this be just the beginning. From building sea walls to designing drought-resistant crops, developing countries must receive the necessary financial and technical support for climate adaptation,” he said. “I applaud the efforts of partners to make community grants and financing more available and quickly accessible – as such funding is particularly important for small island developing States and marginalised communities on the frontlines of climate change, as well as for vulnerable groups, especially women and girls.
“Such resources can help facilitate global and local early warning systems, as well as data and information services to better address extreme climate events. We need to not only be risk-informed but also resilient, at every level and across all stakeholders – thus leaving no one behind.”
COP28 continues.
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) in Dubai, UAE is taking place from Thursday 30 November 2023 – Tuesday 12 December 2023.
It is being attended by Pacific leaders and their delegations, who are advocating for the survival of Pacific communities who continue to be at the forefront of climate change impacts.
A key part of amplifying the One Pacific Voice at COP28 is the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, which is a Pacific partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
Another key part of the Pacific’s work at COP28 is the Pacific Delegation Office, which is a partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand. Both the Moana Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office are managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Photo Credit: UN Climate Change and Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Immigration.