The Pacific Women Mediators Network is calling for climate finance to reach rural, remote and maritime communities, with greater consideration given to the needs of women, young people and persons with disabilities in discussions leading up to Pre-COP31.
Network Coordinator Sharon Rolls said climate commitments must translate into meaningful support for communities already experiencing the impacts of climate change.
She made the comments while speaking at a Fijian Media Association organised workshop ahead of Pre-COP31.
Rolls also questioned how funding through the Pacific Resilience Facility would reach communities, saying substantial, long-term initiatives required adequate financial support.
“To do the long, substantive work, you need to be looking at grant making that is more than $50,000 to really do the work,” she said.
Drawing on the work of the Feminist Alliance for Climate Justice, Rolls said grants of $5,000 were insufficient to support meaningful work at the community level.
“The work that we’ve been doing through the Feminist Alliance for Climate Justice, we know that $5,000 AUD is not enough,” she said.
Rolls stressed that climate discussions should not be centred solely on capital cities but should reflect the realities faced by communities further afield.
“Ensuring the rural, remote and maritime realities are centred and how important it is to look at their needs,” she said.
She also highlighted the impact of changing ocean temperatures and declining fish availability on women who depend on coastal fishing to feed their families.
“It’s the social impact and also a gendered impact,” Rolls said.
She said discussions and reporting on fisheries should look beyond large-scale commercial fishing and recognise the importance of reef fishing to families and household food security across Pacific communities.
