GLOBAL decisions about the ocean will fall short if they ignore human rights and the voices of Indigenous communities, says Climate Change Minister Lynda Tabuya.
Ms Tabuya said people who depended on the ocean must be included in decisions about its future.
“A political declaration on the ocean that contains not a single mention of human rights is a hollow document,” she said.
“Equity cannot breathe where human rights are invisible.”
While speaking at the Neptune Forum in Paris, France, she said Pacific Islanders have cared for the ocean for thousands of years, and their traditional knowledge should be valued alongside modern science.
“Indigenous knowledge comes from generations of observing the ocean, including fish movements, currents and weather patterns, and can help countries better respond to climate challenges.
She said communities should have a stronger say in decisions affecting their ocean areas and should be properly consulted before developments or activities are approved.
She also called for more support to go directly to communities already protecting marine resources.
“Pacific countries, often described as ‘small island states’, are responsible for looking after huge areas of the ocean. We are called small, yet we are custodians of 30 per cent of the planet’s ocean surface.”
She said Pacific nations were ready to share successful ways of protecting oceans with the rest of the world but wanted to be treated as equal partners in global discussions.
