Fiji’s deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad co-hosted the “High Level Session on the International and Regional Cooperation for Climate Mobility” on the COP29 sidelines in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In his address, DPM Prasad stressed the need for climate mobility solutions that build resilience, uphold human dignity, and ensure safety in these times of extreme climate vulnerability.
He highlighted that climate change-induced relocation of people and communities is one of the most pressing challenges for Fiji and the island states of the Pacific, adding that hundreds of communities and towns now stand threatened by the unprecedented pace of sea level rise.
DPM Prasad emphasised that adequate and predictable climate financing was crucial to address the growing crisis of climate mobility affecting vulnerable Pacific Island communities, who are at the mercy of rising sea levels.
“Human dignity is not something we switch on when project financing comes through and switch off when project financing falls short,” DPM Prasad said.
“The fund for responding to Loss and Damage; the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage, and the Pacific Resilience Facility, will bridge critical funding gaps to address loss and damage.
“It is our expectation that these initiatives will be well-resourced through the commitment to a robust and evidence-based new collective quantified goal on climate finance.”
DPM Prasad added that climate change-induced relocation was a measure of last resort because of social, emotional and spiritual dislocation, so the Government continues to prioritise adaptation wherever possible.
He explained that by preempting mobility issues and integrating solutions within national and regional adaptation frameworks, it allows for an opportunity to build resilience, address loss and damage, and maintain sustainable development efforts.
DPM explained that Fiji’s commitment to working through some of its lived experiences with relocation, such as in Vunidogoloa and Narikoso, is reflected in the Government’s relocation guidelines and standard operating procedures.
“The needs are many and they are growing, and for us to make further progress on climate mobility, we need to be able to access climate finance on scale,” DPM Prasad said.
“This is why COP29 matters so much to Fiji and the rest of the Pacific,” he said.
