Simione Tuvuki 
[Source: Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka / Facebook]
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has emphasized the importance of Fiji’s involvement in the fight against climate change, as it is at risk of being submerged with the sea-level rise among other Pacific Island countries.
He reiterated the call while speaking to the Fijian Diaspora in Apia, Samoa, upon his arrival for the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting yesterday.
Rabuka says it is important for Fijians to participate in the conversation on climate change to share the reality on the ground and seek solutions with other countries from around the world.
“It is not a shopping trip. It is a real conference where we exchange ideas and also have an opportunity to tell them to look that you may be okay where you are, but we are almost up to our neck… not in trouble but in seawater.”
Rabuka says Fiji has contributed a lot to initiatives in the fight against climate change, but although it contributes the least to the degradation of the environment, our people suffer the most from the effects of climate change.
“We are going to be relocating 40 villages this year and building more than 200 seawalls. If we do not keep up those programs, some of our islands will be under the sea. So, it is important for us to come to these conferences and meetings.”
Rabuka says he anticipates a fruitful solution-focused conversation with other countries under the commonwealth for the survival of Fiji and other Pacific Island countries.
The Prime Minister will be involved in various conversations, such as the Commonwealth Plan for Action and the Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, alongside meetings with its bilateral counterparts worldwide at CHOGM.
