Peceli Naviticoko 
[Source: Ministry of Finance, Fiji/ Facebook]
Fiji and the Pacific island states will not leave COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, without a properly quantified financial goal based on evidence.
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad, made this strong statement during his contribution to the Global Centre for Climate Mobility panel discussion.
Professor Prasad says that adaptation finance is key for the small island development states as the reality of climate change continues to impact the people on a daily basis, from relocations to natural disasters.
“We cannot get out of this meeting without having a very, very clear, new, collective, quantified finance goal based on evidence. The evidence is already there in the Pacific countries, in other parts of the world, and adaptation finance is turning out, or has always been, for these countries a key impediment to addressing those fundamental issues.”
Professor Prasad says that the new finance goal submission and negotiation at COP 29 will need to be considered for the sake of the Pacific island states.
“The polluter pay principle has been a historical issue, and this COP, particularly the negotiations under the new collective codified goal, as I said this morning, getting out of Baku, getting out of COP29, without having a very clear agreement on the new collective codified finance goal, is not going to be acceptable if there is no agreement on it, to many of the Pacific island countries and other small island states around the world.”
The Pacific delegations at this year’s COP 29 have been making strong submissions on climate financing, and more is expected throughout the week.
