Fiji Live To COP 23: Uniting For Climate Action
November 16, 2017 AUSAID Theatre, USP Laucala Campus
The Honourable Cabinet Ministers;
Permanent Secretaries;
Your Excellencies, High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Distinguished Guests;
All those joining us remotely from COP23 and around the world;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Guten Morgen, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Namaste, Asalaam Alaykum, Ni Hao, Noaia ‘e Mauri, and a very Good Evening to you all.
It is a great pleasure to be with you today as we create a digital link between Fiji and Bonn. Thank you to everyone who is joining us – both here in Suva and around the world – for this second and final live event, where we will witness performances that showcase the impacts of climate change in the Pacific and how we are working together for a brighter, climate-friendly future.
For us, song and dance are woven into the fabric of our societies and give colour and meaning to just about every important moment in our national lives. They convey messages about our ancestors, our environment and the importance of community and fellowship.
Tonight, we will enjoy a mixture of traditional and contemporary performances that tell stories about the changing climate and our peoples’ relationship with their natural surroundings and with each other.
For those watching around the world, and particularly for those gathered in Bonn, we hope these performances remind you of what we are fighting for. Let them reinvigorate your sense of urgency to address the great challenge of climate change, and inspire you in your important work.
We in the Pacific are watching the proceedings at COP23 with great interest and are looking for an outcome that makes a strong connection between what happens in Bonn and the lives of ordinary people.
All those with the power to act must do so, because climate change ultimately threatens every single person on earth. Join your voices with ours and let us all unite for a better and brighter future. Further. Faster. Together.
God bless you all.
Danke, Vinaka Vakalevu, Sukria, Bahoot Dhanyavaad, Xie Xie, Fai’aksea and Thank You.