Pacific island delegates and officials who gathered in Rarotonga last month have returned home to undertake the final steps in their preparations for the upcoming Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs), following the conclusion of the Pacific Preparatory Meeting.
The two-day preparatory meeting was hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and brought together the Pacific Parties to the BRS Conventions to discuss their shared priorities and coordinate and strategise for a strong and unified Pacific voice in Geneva, Switzerland at the end of this month.
Ms. Patricia Torea of Papua New Guinea said, “The Pacific is quite small so when going into these types of meetings, it’s very important that we come together and build our One Pacific Voice.”
“We now have a fair understanding of what is to be discussed at the COPs and we also know how we can come in and contribute to pushing our agendas and our priorities at, which is very important for us. I’m glad PNG were part of this preparatory meeting,” she added.
PNG joined other representatives from Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Niue, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu who are all Parties to at least of one of the BRS Conventions, who now also return to their home countries to finalise their preparations for the upcoming Triple COPs.
The Pacific delegates recognised the challenge that lies ahead of them in Geneva, as the three COPs will be convened concurrently. For a small delegation from the Pacific, oftentimes made up of two or three people, it will be impossible to cover all the areas that will be discussed during the meeting. This is where the importance of coming together as a region cannot be emphasised enough, so that the Pacific can work together to push its shared priorities and positions for the collective good of the region.
Mr. Soseala Tinilau of Tuvalu echoed this sentiment during the first day of the Preparatory Meeting, saying, “When we coordinate together, our voices are stronger than if we were to go individually into negotiating these joint Conventions. It’s important for us to come together and speak as One Pacific Voice at the upcoming COPs in Geneva.”
From the Solomon Islands, Ms. Wendy Beti recognised the importance of coming together this week to identify the common issues and challenges for the Pacific and how they can be raised at the BRS COPs so that the concerns of the Pacific can be heard at the global level.
“It has been helpful for us to prepare to raise these issues as well as our national priorities at the BRS COPs,” Ms. Beti added.
A delegation from SPREP will provide technical support to the Pacific Parties to the Conventions. They will assist the Pacific in coordinating themselves throughout the two weeks of the Triple COPs, and will provide the technical assistance and advice needed to effectively negotiate on behalf of the Pacific.
For more information, please contact Mr. Anthony Talouli, Director – Waste Management and Pollution Control Programme, at anthonyt@sprep.org.