Enhancing the Participation of Pacific Island Nations in International Climate Change Policy

The small island developing states of the Pacific contribute less than 1% of global greenhouse emissions, yet are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. To protect themselves from the devastating impacts of climate change, Pacific Island countries have called for increased action by the international community to reduce their emissions of climate changing gases, and for support to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Pacific Island countries have been instrumental in global negotiations in the past under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - an international convention to prevent dangerous climate change.

In December 2005, the world began negotiations for stronger, higher limits to global emissions of climate changing gases. Pacific Island countries have a vested interest in these negotiations, as their very livelihoods are at risk. Despite their determination, the effectiveness of Pacific Island countries is sometimes hindered by their small delegation size and limited resources at the national level - including the lack of participation of national civil society organisations. As such, there is a need for a parrallel process to strengthen the participation of both Pacific Island governments and civil society organistions in these international climate change negotiations.

Strengthening the Pacific Voice

In recognition of the valuable role that Pacific countries play in supporting international agreements to prevent dangerous climate change, WWF is working with two Pacific Island countries (Cook Islands and Tuvalu) to support their on-going involvement in these negotiations, through a 3-year long project.

This project aims to:

1. Raise awareness on the impacts of climate change in the Pacific, and on measures to address these impacts, and
2. Enhance the role that Pacific governments and civil society organisations play in international climate change policies to prevent dangerous climate change.

Thus, the WWF South Pacific Climate Change Program is working directly with national governments and civil society stakeholders in the Cook Islands and Tuvalu, to:

• Raise awareness at the national level, on the impacts of climate change and what stakeholders can do to address these impacts through the development of targeted research papers, including an analysis of the impacts of climate change on key economic sectors
• Enhance stakeholders' understanding of climate change through national awareness raising workshops and working alongside key organisations to develop on-going national level climate education activities
• Provide policy support to governments, to review existing national policies related to climate change, with a view to enhancing these policies if and where necessary
• Work with industry stakeholders to empower them to increase the resilience of their businesses to the impacts of climate change.
• Enhance participation in international climate policy through national level negotiations training workshops for both government and civil society stakeholders
• Provide additional support, to increase the attendance of both government and civil society representatives at the United Nations climate change meetings
• Facilitate on-going information sharing between national government and civil society networks

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