Women bring relocation realities to Pre-COP31

For women in four Fijian communities, climate-related relocation is not simply about moving to a safer place. It is about what happens to their land, livelihoods, culture, families and sense of belonging.

Their experiences will be brought directly into Pre-COP31 discussions in Nadi, giving women and elders an opportunity to share the realities of relocation and the difficult choices communities face.

Women and elders from Nabavatu, Narikoso, Vunidavo and Nayavuira will share their experiences documented through the Community Climate Talks.

The documentary will be screened during the “Amplifying Voices of Relocation” side event at the Sofitel Fiji Resort in Denarau, Nadi on October 5.

The 45-minute session will bring community experiences and traditional knowledge into discussions involving research, policy and the wider international climate debate.

The four communities represent different experiences of climate-related relocation.

Narikoso in Kadavu partially relocated more than a decade ago, while Nabavatu in Macuata is currently undergoing relocation.

Vunidavo in Namosi relocated in the early 1980s through community efforts, while Nayavuira in Ra has chosen not to relocate.

The event is convened by the German Embassy in Fiji as part of Germany’s engagement around Pre-COP31 and delivered in cooperation with GIZ Pacific through the Global Programme on Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change (HMCCC), SauVaka Culture Consultancy and Tabualuma Media Production.

Head of Delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany, Secretary of State Jochen Flasbarth, said planned relocation was ultimately about people, communities and the places they called home.

“Germany’s engagement on climate mobility in Fiji is grounded in listening to those living these realities,” Mr Flasbarth said.

“By bringing women’s experiences directly into the Pre-COP31 conversation, we want to create space for community perspectives to inform the wider discussion on climate mobility.”

GIZ Pacific representative Anina Vontobel said women played an important role in understanding what successful and inclusive relocation meant.

“Women are not only experiencing the impacts of relocation; they are also carrying knowledge, responsibilities and perspectives that are essential to understanding what successful and inclusive relocation means,” Ms Vontobel said.