10 December 2019, Madrid, Spain - In this series, we will be introducing you to some of our Pacific island negotiators and delegates, who are the people representing our islands at the Climate Change negotiations now underway.
The Twenty-fifth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP25) is hosted in Madrid, Spain from 2 – 13 December, 2019.
Pacific negotiators and delegates have been working in the rooms amplifying our Pacific voice and our Pacific asks. We hope you enjoy this series getting to know more of our Pacific Island negotiators and delegates.
Name: Mr Viliami Kami
Country: Tonga
Q: Tell us a little bit about the work you do and how you came to be a representative for your country at COP25?
A: I look after Quarantine and Biosecurity in Tonga and I also represent the Southwest Pacific on the Steering Committee of the International Year of Plant Health 2020. Because climate change is so important to the region, we made the effort to try and incorporate climate change into the international Year of Plant Health next year.
Q: What is an issue that is of interest to you or one that you want to highlight here at COP25?
A: Everyone sees the Pacific islands as a whole lot of blue and little dots of green, but these little dots of green are so important as they are some of the global hotspots when it comes to different species of plants and in terms of biodiversity. In terms of agriculture, we have a lot of threats of diseases coming in, which is why we have planned the International Year of Plant Health coming up.
Q: How important do you think youth involvement in climate change is?
A: We need to have the youth involved from the early stages because we only have a limited lifespan and this work needs to be ongoing so they are the ones who will carry on this work. It’s good to see a few youth delegates here at COP25 but I think we need to have more.