Climate change is an issue of justice, of loss of sovereignty so says the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Government Organisations (PIANGO).

“The high carbon-emitting countries must be held responsible for the critical imbalance in today’s climate,” PIANGO executive director Emele Duituturaga said.

Ms Duituturaga’s comments were the expression of solidarity by PIANGO toward the region’s efforts at the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.

PIANGO, representative of 23 national civil society umbrella bodies had rallied behind Pacific leaders and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in spirit as they brought to the fore the sense of urgency that came from the reality of losing homes.

PIANGO’s expressions underscore the essence of the joint outcome statement from the regional consultation on the Global Compact on Migration. The consultation of regional CSOs was held in Nadi early this month.

Partners at the consultation declared that the displacement of the Pacific’s people as a result of climate change induced migration, threatens their physical, spiritual and cultural existence.

“Many of our island communities have lost their homes, with many more to suffer that same fate,” she said

PIANGO was represented at the United Nations (UN) climate summit by human rights legal adviser Makareta Waqavonovono. Ms Waqavonovono was a panellist at a COP23 side-event to discuss ‘Women in the forefront of climate change’ and facilitated a panel discussion on Loss and Damage.

The term ‘Loss and Damage’ was used in the Paris Agreement to refer to liability and compensation issues that arise from climate change impacts.

Developing nations, particularly the small island states which are among the most vulnerable and worst-hit, are adamant that the industrialised countries compensate in some manner for the loss and damage caused by climate change impacts.

This climate justice priority will feature prominently in discussions at the International Civil Society Week in Fiji next month.

The weeklong international event, which is held annually by global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, will be held in the Pacific region for the first time.

A wide range of global issues will be discussed by the global delegates at the four-day conference that begins on December 4.

The conference serves as a forum in which civil society organisations share, review, create and re-energise their capacities to deliver in their respective civic spaces.

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