Fiji’s Mark on History Last Week was not Defined By the Size of our Nation But Rather By the Strength of our Commitments Fiji’s Mark on History Last Week was not Defined By the Size of our Nation But Rather By the Strength of our Commitments
We are sending a clear message to the large economies: if we – a small island nation – can do it, so can you. Voreqe Bainimarama Prime Minister
When the community of nations finally steps up and succeeds in solving some of the great challenges of our time, the credit will be owed – in no small way – to the passionate leadership of #TeamFiji.
International advocacy is not a one-man job. You need a team – and a damn good one – to make a difference. And I was blessed to lead a dedicated Fijian delegation to the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
But the real MVPs (Most Valuable Players) of the week were our young Fijians.
At a time when global leadership on climate change is sorely missing, it was young Fijians whose purpose, perspectives and impassioned activism set the tone of this UN General Assembly. During the Youth Climate Action Summit, young Fijians Timoci, Genevieve, Tyler, Komal, Ann and Maanvick brought the voices of those most vulnerable to the forefront of the climate action campaign, bravely re-living their suffering at the hands of the climate crisis and pointing out the bleeding obvious to the world: Words are cheap, but action is priceless.
In that same spirit, Fiji was one of the few nations who came to the UN with more than smiles and nice speeches. We came with commitments. And it was because of our leadership – through advocacy and by example – that I was the only world leader chosen to speak at all five summits of this year’s UNGA; climate action, universal healthcare, the 2030 Agenda, finance for development and Small States vulnerabilities.
First engagement
On Monday, I joined a handful of leaders invited to speak at the Climate Action Summit where I answered the UN Secretary-General’s call for greater ambition in the climate action campaign.
I took that chance to warn of the hellish future that awaits us if we fail to act, and speak to the promise of the solutions already within our reach.
Throughout all my engagements, I brought with me that same message: the climatic threat is grave and the stakes are life-or-death, but the solutions don’t require we turn our backs to economic growth and prosperity.
The untapped potential of sustainable, resilient development is enormous, and every nation stands to benefit.
At a High-Level Meeting on Universal Healthcare, I spoke on the great challenges faced by vulnerable nations striving to improve their citizen’s health in the face of a changing climate. I shared Fiji’s experience and laid out new opportunities to build resilient healthcare systems.
Next engagement
The next day, as Chair of the PSIDS Summit, I addressed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and again pushed for greater global leadership in the climate struggle, for our sake, the sake of the Pacific, and the sake of all vulnerable people.
I then brought Fiji’s perspective to the global conversation on SDG implementation.
The world has agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals – but vast uncertainty remains on how we meet those targets by 2030.
As I told that audience: Small States can’t be forced to choose between sustainable development and debt sustainability. We need affordable and accessible funding, and we need it now.
But the question is, what form does that financing take? At the High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development, alongside global corporations and financial institutions, I laid out specific, scalable financing solutions, all equally bold as they were innovative.
And I made the moral case that no nation should be forced into taking out loans to rebuild from climate impacts they had no role in bringing upon themselves.
Such our brothers and sisters in the Bahamas who are still accounting for missing citizens in the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
Ireland and Jason Momoa engagements
We ended this historic spate of leadership at a High-Level meeting on Small States development priorities where I joined the President of Ireland, the UNSG and my Pacific brother Jason Momoa to recognise the shared challenges small states face – challenges compounded by climatic impacts. We unanimously put forward a declaration that small states need specific measures – run in collaboration with larger countries – to implement the work we all know can and must done to secure ourselves a vibrant future. Every day this week, we showed how Fiji is leading the way in sustainable progress.
We are sending a clear message to the large economies: if we – a small island nation – can do it, so can you. Our emissions may be negligible, but we’re cutting them anyways. And with worsening cyclones, rising seas and changing weather patterns bearing down on us, we’re boldly pursuing innovative and collective means to fund resilient development.
Conclusion
To sum it up: Fiji’s mark on history last week was not defined by the size of our nation but rather by the strength of our commitments. We
should all be proud of the effort and energy Fiji is giving the campaigns for climate action and sustainable development.
But I remain sorely disappointed our commitments aren’t more widely shared. Other nations continue to play politics rather than address the great challenges facing humanity. That’s the mentality that got us into this mess in the first place, and that selfishness won’t serve any of us in securing a sustainable future.
But there is hope. There’s hope in the millions of people who are demanding action at the grassroots from their leaders. There’s hope in the innovative solutions in adaptation, climate finance and renewable energy. And there’s hope in the next generation of leaders, who have shown themselves unafraid to demand action and chart sustainable progress, even when governments will not. Vinaka, God Bless, and Toso Viti.