FIJI’S “bold and inspiring” decision to be the first country to commit to signing and ratifying the Paris Agreement has received accolades and congratulatory messages from climate change experts and stakeholders.
And it was this move that also inspired the Government of the atoll island of Tuvalu to also commit to the same when leaders meet in New York in April this year.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga announced his nation’s intention to commit to the agreement during his keynote address at the post-COP21 Paris Agreement climate change forum at the University of the South Pacific in Suva yesterday.
“I must congratulate Prime Minister (Voreqe) Bainimarama and of course his government and the Parliament of Fiji for taking that very bold and inspiring decision last week. I’m very inspired,” Mr Sopoaga told this newspaper.
“They (Fiji) were very quick. We are trying our best to domesticate the agreement and of course, we have not as much capacity as Fiji but we are going to do that.
“And in early April, I’m going to seek the approval of Parliament for me to fully sign without reservation and to ratify fully the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement will not save the Pacific SIDS (small island developing states) unless we governments, individually and as a region do the right thing by signing and ratifying it, and more importantly by urgently disseminating, domesticating and operationalising its provisions.”
Head of delegation of the European Union for the Pacific Andrew Jacobs also commended the Fiji Parliament saying as an important player in the Pacific, Fiji was leading by example in fighting climate change in the Pacific.
He said the EU stood shoulder to shoulder with its Pacific partners in the fight against climate change.
Last Friday, Parliament unanimously agreed for Fiji to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, of which 196 states are party to.
This was after Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum moved that Parliament approve the ratification of the agreement without being referred to the committee on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
