Pacific island countries seek common voice in climate change issues

Fiji's drive towards climate change and risk management and the push for sustainable development goals "have been reprioritized and realigned" as the Fijian government and regional organization representatives from around the Pacific met in Suva on Monday to seek ways of having a common voice on disaster risk management issues at international forums.
"We are currently reviewing our disaster legislation and plans, to make sure that all the relevant mechanics are in place for a resilient and sustainable future for our community," Fiji's Minister for Rural and Maritime Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu said while addressing participants at the 6th Session of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management.
"Fiji fully supports the proposed strategy integrating climate change and disaster risk resilience, as a successor to the Pacific Regional Framework for Climate Change, and the DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) Framework for Action," Seruiratu said.
The session provides the region with an opportunity to shape disaster risk and climate change efforts for at least the next 20 years. It will seek to gain support for the draft Strategy for Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the Pacific (SRDP).
It will also seek support for the development of the Post-2015 Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction which is to be endorsed at the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.
"For us in the region the climate and disaster instruments are integrated and inseparable, unique to our island nature and the SRDP is the right approach to take us into the future," said Seruiratu.
"For Fiji, a good example of this integrated approach is the Vunidogoloa village disaster risk and climate change mitigation project where the government and the community worked together relocating the whole community to higher ground, to reduce disaster risk and climate change effect and where sustainable growths and developments are promoted unhindered," he said.
Margareta Wahlstrom, UN special representative of the secretary- general for disaster risk reduction said the Pacific continues to demonstrate its "can do attitude" and strong leadership on disaster risk reduction and climate change.
"The Pacific was one of the first regions in the world to clearly foresee obvious links between climate change, disaster risk management and sustainable development policies and that no development can be sustainable without linking the three agendas together to be part of the same solution," Wahlstorm said.
The three-day workshop will allow Pacific island nations to discuss issues regarding building resilience towards disasters and contribute to the "New Pacific Plan Framework". Outcomes of the workshop are expected to be tabled at the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Reduction.