Fiji Hub Achievement Report

September 2015
Objective: Building Sustainable Relationships

Fiji National Climate Change Summit 2015

Global Vision International Fiji - Working alongside with local communities, governmental and non-
governmental bodies to tackle the impending threats of climate change

Sunrise over the Provincial Office Day One

th
On September 8 2015, Fiji held its third National Climate Change Summit. This year the summit was held at
the Lomaiviti Provincial Council office, in Fijis old capital and recently awarded UNESCO World Heritage site,
Levuka. This was the first summit to be held in the Central/Eastern division, where GVI Fijis Marine Conser-
vation Program is based. Having formed an ever-strengthening relationship with the Lomaiviti Provincial
Office, GVI Fiji was invited to attend the summit and take part in the workshops on important climate relat-
ed issues.
The people of Fiji are living with the effects of climate change and have already experienced heart breaking
and irreparable damage to their natural resources, threatening their way of life for future generations. As
the Honourable Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama opened the summit, his highly motivating
speech really hit home and set the tone perfectly for the weekend.
That is why this third National Climate Summit is so important. We need to bring together all the expertise
we can to develop strategies to cope with these extreme weather events and the rising seas. To face this cri-
sis by forging a strong partnership between government, civil society and the private sector. To mobilise the
Fijian people through their representatives and develop better strategies to cope with what may be to come.

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After the PMs speech it was straight to busi-
ness with multiple talks, seminars, work-
shops and panel discussions throughout the
day.
The morning session was an update on the
significant progress made since the last
summit in Narewa Village in Nadi, primarily
under the following themes; financing, adap-
tation and vulnerability, mitigation and edu-
cation, awareness and traditional knowledge.
The powerful morning sessions fuelled the
fire for the remainder of the day and the
constant level of passion was apparent. The
day continued with a panel discussion on Fi-
jis mitigation contributions, hosted by the
Departments of Forestry, Energy and the Fiji Bus Operators Association. The land transport sector is current-
ly the largest contributor to annual carbon emissions so their involvement in this forum was an important
step towards positive change. This discussion highlighted the root causes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
and current initiatives to help mitigate the issue.
Figure 1 Setting up the GVI stand

This was followed by a series of sessions delivered by key stakeholders such as government ministries,
NGOs and private sector companies. The discussions covered a depth of relevant topics including the impact
of deforestation & land degradation, the implementation of bio-gas facilities in Fiji, the role of the private
sector in reducing emission and the shift towards renewable energy through the application of solar engi-
neering.
The first day came to a close with the PM launching the i-Taukei translated Climate Change Policy, Now that
we have an iTaukei version of our National Climate Change Policy, many thousands of iTaukei who cant read
English can learn about the steps we are taking as a nation to deal with this challenge. And I urge all of you,
no matter where you are in Fiji, to read it. This document will be key toward spreading the word on climate
change and uniting the nation to work toward the same goals.
For the remainder of the summit there was no decrease in energy and the sessions powered on, maintaining
their intensity. Workshops most relevant to the GVI program objectives included a session providing assis-
tance in the development of basic Climate Adaptation and Disaster Management Plans for communities
around Ovalau and the Lomaiviti group. This was followed by a panel discussion on preparing for climate
change/disaster induced relocation.
Perhaps the most relevant of all the sessions to the primary objectives of the GVI Fiji Marine Project was a
plenary session on Food Security in a Changing Climate. This session was hosted by the Departments of
Fisheries, Agriculture, the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Fiji National Food and Nutrition cen-
ter. Key topics discussed were natural resource management, the current threats, safeguarding in-
shore/offshore fisheries and the anticipated climate change impacts on fisheries, agriculture and the health
sector. This was followed by another highly productive Q&A session as participants had many important
questions to ask, for which the panel were very well prepared to answer in detail.

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GVI Fiji work very closely with two schools on Moturiki, focusing on raising awareness of environmental is-
sues. It was therefore of great relevance to attend the seminar by the Ministry of Education focusing on the
pivotal role of education and awareness in building Fijis resilience to climate change and disaster risk reduc-
tion. This sessions acknowledged the need for creative provision of alternative education for locally appro-
priate technologies practiced at community level.
As well as having representatives at the main ses-
sions, GVI were also invited to set up a manned
stall, providing information on all our current pro-
jects. This stall was essential for networking, not
only with other organisations, but also individuals
from all around Fiji. Throughout the summit, the
success of the GVI stall escalated rapidly as word
spread on the climate change adaptability initiatives
being presented. The team exchanged contact in-
formation and received requests for assistance
from the outer islands of Lomaiviti and even from
areas as far as the Yasawa Islands. There were also
some visits from local school classes providing the
opportunity for GVI to delivery awareness and in-
spiration to the future leaders of the community.

Figure 2 A group of school children at the GVI stand

Moving forward, GVI Fijis relationship with the Provincial Council of Lomaiviti has never been stronger. The
networking during the summit has broadened the projects horizons immensely, with contacts from all cor-
ners of Fiji who are keen to receive any information on GVIs climate change adaptability projects and how
they can set up similar projects of their own. It was a privilege to work alongside other participants of the
summit and involvement in such an important event has further fuelled the motivation of the team to strive
toward the program objectives.

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