24 Mar 2017

Fiji's role at COP23 seen as great opportunity

9:04 am on 24 March 2017

Environmental NGOs from around the Pacific say Fiji's presidency of a major environmental conference this year provides one of the greatest opportunities to advance their ambitions.

In November, Fiji will be the president of the global climate change negotiations known as COP23, which follow on from landmark talks that led to a key climate agreement in Paris in 2015.

Krishneil Narayan, the co-ordinator of the Pacific Islands Climate Network, an umbrella organisation for 58 regional organisations, said this allows Pacific countries a real opportunity to highlight their plight.

He said the region's NGOs are trying to help it push an ambitious agenda to try and tackle global carbon emissions, which are contributing to the climate change threatening the Pacific.

"It's an amazing huge opportunity actually. It's the first time that a small island nation has taken leadership of a huge UN conference on climate change."

"That provides us with a platform to highlight the impacts of climate change on the Pacific, and for the Pacific to take leadership even further."