Blue Town concept hailed

THE Savusavu Chamber of Commerce’s Blue Town concept provides a platform for protecting the environment and oceans.

In acknowledging this initiative, Minister for Women Mereseini Vuniwaqa said the concept would also be the driving force behind enhanced economic activity.

“I would like to acknowledge the Savusavu Chamber of Commerce with the visionary leadership of consolidating the Blue Town model through Government for Savusavu Town,” she said.

“In other words, if we pledge to and in fact, do all we can to protect our natural environment, increased investments into the local economy becomes a given.

“Fiji remains a world leader in the advocacy work against climate change and sustainable oceans.”

Mrs Vuniwaqa, who opened the Vodafone Hidden Paradise Savusavu Carnival on Monday night, said the devastating effects of climate change were real and affected the oceans.

“We simply cannot have a healthy ocean without tackling the issues collateral to climate change,” she said.

“We can talk about Sustainable Development Goal 14 and discuss ways in which we can conserve and sustainably use our oceans for realisation of that universal goal premised on local action.”

Such action, she said, was also based on individual contribution and as a community.

“What do we do on the local front to protect our local environment and this requires a continuous commitment and concerted effort,” Mrs Vuniwaqa said.

“We must all take ownership of the carnival theme ‘Protect our Ocean and You Protect Yourself’, and pledge daily to practise what it asks of us in all that we do.”

Savusavu special administrator Justin Hunter in an earlier interview told this newspaper that the Blue Town concept and the setting of the model would draw in major funding from the United Nations and other conservation philanthropy groups who are willing to assist the project.