Samoa Takes The Lead In Climate Diplomacy As A.O.S.I.S. Chair
Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr. Pa’olelei Luteru, the Permanent Representative of Samoa to the U.N. and new chairman of Alliance of Small Island States (A.O.S.I.S.).
Photo: U.N.
Samoa has taken a lead role in climate diplomacy as the new Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (A.O.S.I.S.).
Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr. Pa’olelei Luteru, the Permanent Representative of Samoa to the U.N. is now the chairman of A.O.S.I.S.
The switch in A.O.S.I.S. leadership from Antigua and Barbuda to Samoa took place at the COP27 conference that opened on 6 November in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt and concludes on 18 November.
The news was shared on Twitter Wednesday morning by Daniel Lund, Special Adviser to the Fijian Government.
Outgoing A.O.S.I.S. Chair is Ambassador Dr. Walton Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the U.N.
Mr. Lund congratulated Samoa on the new role, noting that it marks a “new phase for Pacific climate diplomacy.”
“Congratulations to Samoa for taking on the A.O.S.I.S. chair for next two years, marking an important new phase for Pacific climate diplomacy,” he said.
Fatumanava is fiercely passionate about the Pacific region’s climate emergency.
It is extremely important for the Pacific to maintain a level of visibility on climate issues, he said at the U.N. Ocean Conference held early this year in Portugal.
“It’s extremely important that we maintain a level of visibility as for us Pacific Small Island Developing States (P.S.I.D.S.) nothing is more important than our ocean. We are part of the ocean, our livelihoods are determined and shaped by the ocean, as is our culture,” Fatumanava said in 26 June statement from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P.).
The drought in Tuvalu, composed of nine small coral islands, has been brought to the forefront at the meeting in Egypt.
Tuvalu is not only on the brink of sinking due to sea level rise induced by climate change, the country is also experiencing an extreme drought.
This is according to an 8 November statement from S.P.R.E.P.
“The tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu is just on the brink of sinking due to climate change-induced sea level rise. The island with a population of over 11,000 people is grappling with an extreme drought, which has forced the government to declare a State of Public Emergency this week,” the S.P.R.E.P. statement reads.
The proclamation signed by Tuvalu’s Governor General Rev. Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani states: “By the powers conferred upon me under section 35 of the Constitution, I hereby declare a State of Public Emergency for the extreme drought conditions on the whole of Tuvalu. This proclamation comes into effect on this day of November 8, 2022 and shall continue for fourteen days unless revoked or varied.”
The developments in Tuvalu underscore the compounding impacts of the climate crisis, which have brought world leaders – including Pacific leaders – and more than 55,000 delegates to the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh for the 27th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (U.N.F.C.C.C. C.O.P.).
Tuvalu’s Prime Minister, Kausea Natano continues to raise the alarm about the “lived reality of climate change” in his country at COP27.
He said if COP27 does not conclude with a meaningful outcome for his country and other nations experiencing similar crises, Tuvalu will quickly lose faith that the U.N.F.C.C.C. institution can deliver sustainable outcomes for all, especially the most vulnerable, S.P.R.E.P. reports.
Tuvalu is highly reliant on rainfall as the main source of fresh water, according to the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (O.C.H.A.).
There are no rivers on the islands and groundwater is extremely limited. Rainwater is harvested and stored in household tanks, island community and church tanks, cisterns and a large government cistern.
The country has been experiencing drought conditions since mid-2022.
The water shortage due to scant rainfall and the breakdown of desalination plants threaten the health of its 11,000 residents.
The drought also puts plant life at risk.
Surveys on Tuvalu have found the water shortage has already led to the deaths of some animals, said O.C.H.A.
A.O.S.I.S. has 39 member states and 15 of them are in the Pacific.
Pacific member states are: Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu and Samoa.
Sixteen A.O.S.I.S. member nations are in the Caribbean and eight are in the African, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.