Newly crowned Miss Pacific Islands, Anne Dunn is the new ambassador for climate change.

This was announced by the Minister for Local Government, Housing, Environment, Infrastructure and Transport, Parveen Bala, during the welcome reception for Ms Dunn, at Albert Park Pavilion and Grounds in Suva yesterday.

Mr Bala also called upon the key stakeholders for support as Nadi will be hosting the regional beauty pageant next year.

Ms Dunn said being the ambassador for climate change was a privilege.

“I feel like the climate change is the issue that every country is facing right now and that is why I decided to take it on,” Ms Dunn said.

“There is a lot of non-governmental organisations and programmes within communities as the Government has already addressed the climate change issues that’s why I hope to step into one of those projects.

“I hope to do something next year that would change at least one climate change effect in our region,” she said.

Ms Dunn said after returning to Fiji from United States in 2011 it meant a lot to her to stand on a stage and say she was Miss Fiji.

“There have been a lot comments in terms of my accent, where I was born and raised,” she said.

“But I think it is something that every woman across the region has dealt with whether they have an accent or not, whether they look like the nationality that they are said to be from.

“It is a big deal for a Pacific Island woman to hold onto her roots, her culture, our language because I feel like there is a lot of modernisation that tempts us into becoming or growing into something that we are not and we lose the uniqueness of being Pacific Islanders.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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