Natural resource owners’ rep at COP28 highlights challenges
THE district of Dawasamu is approximately 14,086 kilometres away from the United Arab Emirates, and that is the distance Sanaila Rokotuivuna travelled to be at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) that was held in Dubai.
As the lone representative of the National Resources Owners Committee (NROC) and the Tailevu Province’s representative in the NROC, Mr Rokotuivuna is also the Mata ni Tikina Dawasamu. He was chosen by consensus at the last NROC meeting held at the Centre for Appropriate Training and Development Centre (CATD) in Nadave in November last year.
Mr Rokotuivuna was no stranger to overseas travel, having visited South Korea multiple times as part of the Saemaul Undong program but this journey was significantly longer.
“I travelled alone from Fiji to Singapore, where I transited for a few hours. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed having to travel to Dubai alone,” he explained.
“At the airport in Singapore, I met a couple of other Fijians travelling to Dubai, and that instilled a bit of confidence in me.”
“At Dubai Airport, however, it was a different affair as we met an even larger group of Fijians representing nongovernment organisations, Government officials, and media teams from Fiji, and I knew straight away that all was well,” Mr Rokotuivuna smiled as he described his travel jitters.
Being an indigenous resource owner, he spent most of his time at COP28 at the Indigenous Pavilion, attending side events and hearing the plight of other indigenous people worldwide facing the challenges of climate change and, most importantly, man-made challenges.
“These communities grapple with the formidable consequences of climate change and, notably, the adversities brought about by human activities, with many of them facing extreme poverty. I found myself deeply astonished by the myriad presentations,” he said.
“I count myself blessed to have been chosen to be here, and one of the major takeaways from COP28 is the proper management of our resources in Fiji, and I shall be highlighting all of these when I present my report at the next NROC meeting.”
“Climate Change is real, and so is overexploitation. If you harbour any doubt, I encourage you to engage in conversations with the coastal villagers who reside along our shores.”
“They can provide first-hand accounts of the increasing distances they must venture into the sea to secure a meaningful catch. Similarly, converse with the communities situated along our riverbanks, and you will hear accounts of persistent flooding and the abnormal intensity of rainfall we are experiencing,” Mr Rokotuivuna said.
He highlighted the plight of those living in the smaller islands in the Pacific such as the people of Kiribati who face the imminent danger of the rising sea levels.
“Talk to the resource owners who have had their natural resources exploited with little or no benefit at all for them.”
“All of these occurrences and more are the consequences of adverse weather conditions induced by climate change and ultimately the over-exploitation of our natural resources,” Mr Rokotuivuna said.
Moreover, the 58-year-old from Silana Village expressed that his discoveries also pose a personal challenge for him.
“As the district rep for Dawasamu, one of my first duties is to step up awareness of the importance of resource management and taking steps to minimise the effect of climate change,” he said.
“Conservation is imperative and I am pleased that my village, Silana, has been involved in the Saemaul Undong program. This initiative champions the causes of conservation, enhanced community wellbeing, rural communal empowerment and regeneration,” Mr Rokotuivuna stated.
He expressed his deepest appreciation to the NROC and the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs for the opportunity to be at the UAE COP28.
Mr Rokotuivuna said he had learned a lot and faced many challenges during his participation at the international conference.
“However, I believe that it would be beneficial for more resource owners to attend such conferences and learn about the difficulties that resource owners face around the world as it can help us in managing our resources better through proper negotiations and management.”
“We all have a part to play in our efforts to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally no more than 1.5 degrees. Everyone needs to understand the impacts of 1.5°C global warming above pre-industrial levels and how it relates to strengthening our response to the threat of climate change, promoting sustainable development, and fighting poverty.” Mr Rokotuivuna notes that everyone has a role to play in educating themselves and others about the necessary global emission pathways to achieve these goals.
At the conclusion of the COP28 summit in Dubai, nearly every country in the world had pledged to phase out fossil fuels, the main contributor to climate change.
The conference also generated new global pledges spanning emissions from fossil fuel firms, renewable energy targets, food systems, and coordinated action on climate change and biodiversity loss.
The summit also created history when after 28 years of international climate negotiations, an agreement was reached for the first time resulting in the first “global stocktake” that will evaluate countries’ progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.