29 October 2024, Apia Samoa - As the clock ticks towards the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11-22 November 2024, Pacific delegates heading there will have a ‘home away from home’ at the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office.
And already, the excitement is building with up to 80 side events confirmed for the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, making it one of the most active Pavilions at COP. More than 20 of these side events will involve Leaders, Government Ministers and High-level representation.
The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion stage is a crucial space that empowers Pacific Islands climate change stories told by Pacific Islands people on the global stage to an international audience. At COP28 in Dubai last year, the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion amplified 400 Pacific Islands voices during their side events.
“The Pavilion is a space in which we can tell our own stories in our own voices, the side events in our Pavilion bring the human element to the negotiations happening behind closed doors sharing Pacific experiences with the international community,” said Ms Tagaloa Cooper, Director of Climate Change Resilience at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“The One Pacific Voice at COP is critical in our fight for the survival of Pacific communities who are at the forefront of climate change impacts and the spaces in the Pavilion as well as the Pacific Delegation Office are key enablers to ensure that Voice is strong and unified.”
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The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office, dubbed an “oasis” for Pacific delegations during the heat of global climate change negotiations, will be managed by SPREP in partnership with the Governments of New Zealand and Australia.
During COP28 the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion featured more than 400 Pacific Islands voices.
The Pavilion opens on 11 and closes on 22 November 2024.
All side event applications received were reviewed by a Pacific wide committee consisting of members of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific before submission to a steering committee for approval.
Whereas the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion will host various events initiated by Pacific Island governments, private sector, civil society, CROP agencies and partners, the Pacific Delegation Office offers a space which allows Pacific delegations to hold daily coordination meetings and bilateral meetings during the COP negotiations.
As the countdown towards COP29 continues, SPREP in a Pacific partnership with the Governments of New Zealand and Australia have been working hard to finalise the details.
“We are incredibly pleased that there are such places available for Pacific countries and I want to thank the Governments of New Zealand and Australia for their support,” said Ms Cooper.
The Pacific Delegation Office enables our Pacific Islands to strategise, coordinate, and prepare for negotiations over the two-week period. While each of our Pacific delegations are small in number, collaborating as a united group amplifies our voices and increases opportunities for our region at the table.
Established since COP24, the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion is the platform to amplify our One Pacific voice showcasing our climate change challenges and solutions to the thousands of delegates at the event. This popular hub brings our Pacific Islands to the COP, which enables our Pacific stories to be shared empowering Pacific voices outside of the negotiation’s spaces.
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The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at COP29 is a Pacific partnership with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Pavilion is featured at the twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11 – 22 November 2024.
To learn more about the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion side events please visit: https://www.sprep.org/circular/cir2476-moana-blue-pacific-pavilion-programme-of-events-at-the-unfccc-cop29-in-baku-azerbaijan-from-11-to-22-november-2024