Climate change plan of action next for Kiribati

Transcript

Kiribati hopes to produce a plan of action for small atoll nations dealing with climate change following positive international support at its summit in Tarawa last week.

UN agencies, non government groups and leaders from Tuvalu, Tokelau, Fiji and Kiribati gathered in the Kiribati capital for discussions on the climate change issues faced by small atoll nations.

The Kiribati Foreign Affairs Secretary Akka Rimon told Sally Round the talks have boosted international recognition of the problems faced by countries like Kiribati.

AKKA RIMON: The fact that we've got all these partners in to talk with us on this important topic is something that we feel is not adequately addressed internationally and especially in the UN for them to be able to listen to us and understand and recognise the problem of climate change is in fact an urgent one, is more support than we can ask for. It shows that they are listening to the problems. They're coming over to Kiribati to see the situation and experiences that we live with everyday, is in fact also testament of their leadership and their commitment to offer whatever support they may and of course the outcomes document may just be a document outlining some of the things that we agreed to in the meeting such as the urgency to address climate change for example, the concern attached to the issue of climate induced migration and how to address that, at this point in time where there is no clear direction or advice on how to deal with, such as mass population displacement as a result of climate change. In the outcomes document what I think is important for Kiribati and the rest of the atoll nations including Fiji is we want to take the outcomes document forward by way of developing an action plan. So from the outcomes document we would like to see activities, increasing support from our partners in the areas of water problems that we are experiencing now. We also recognise from the discussion the need to develop training and education, labour mobility as forms of adaptation to climate change. But at the same contributions to our economic growth and nation building process. There is also mention of  the need to elevate our islands to a certain level should the need be there for us to relocate and because this a last resort having to move away from Kiribati we would like to see what ever support we can get on this.  

SALLY ROUND: Yes and on that issue, were there any ideas expressed around if there was any kind of mass migration necessary, how that might be done?

AR: I think it's hard to get all the answers in the one meeting. But as I've explained earlier, I think it's important that we've got the discussions going and people have now come to a level of understanding of the consequences, these are the threats that we will be faced with. Whether we're shaping the right answers at this point in time, I think what's important is that people are listening to the issues. The UN agencies and experts for example that deal with migration have already looked into this in their research and they approve and understand, that this is something that's going to happen.

SR: Do you think that support is going to translate into support at these upcoming talks in Paris?

AR: Very much, I think part of the efforts in Ambod where we had the meeting, is to try and take what we believe needs to be influenced at the international decision making level to understand there is a vulnerability of the spectrum. We need this level of commitment, this level of leadership and support that comes from the entire human race and not just us in our part of the world.