Team Fiji has made a significant advancement at the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) by securing an agreement on their resolution titled “Accelerating Global Action to Promote the Climate Resilience of Coral Reefs.” This milestone marks the first of 17 resolutions under negotiation to receive approval from Member States, highlighting global recognition of Fiji’s leadership in promoting ocean and climate action.
The negotiations leading to this agreement were characterized by intense discussions, with delegates working tirelessly around the clock for the past week to reach consensus. Fiji’s technical team, led by the Permanent Secretary for Environment and the Director of Environment, adeptly navigated intricate scientific, environmental, and geopolitical challenges to unite participating countries. The final negotiation session concluded at 1 am, culminating in a unanimous agreement on the text.
With two days left in UNEA-7, discussions on the remaining resolutions persist vigorously. Fiji has expressed gratitude to all international partners for their constructive involvement, adaptability, and backing. This early success is a testament to Fiji’s role in multilateral environmental diplomacy, reinforcing its commitment to safeguarding the world’s coral reefs and the communities reliant on them.
In a related push for enhanced ocean protection, Fiji has advocated for the creation of a One Ocean Finance Facility. Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Mosese Bulitavu, highlighted the urgent need for a unified financial strategy to empower ocean conservation efforts, noting the current underfunding of the ocean economy, which receives less than one percent of global climate finance.
“A global finance system that fails the ocean fails Small Island Developing States,” the Minister articulated, stressing the ocean’s pivotal role in climate stability, food security, and global prosperity. Fiji has called upon countries and partners to unite in support of the proposed One Ocean Finance Facility, aimed at mobilizing substantial capital to support communities and ecosystems most in need.
The Minister outlined three key priorities for the initiative: ensuring direct access for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and coastal Least Developed Countries (LDCs), financing the entire life cycle of ocean action from marine spatial planning to blue-carbon protection, and developing a clear global roadmap in preparation for the upcoming UN Ocean Conference (UNOC4), underpinned by shared principles and measurable targets.
Fiji’s accomplishments through its Blue Economy Framework were also highlighted, indicating that national ambitions cannot offset the significant global financial gaps. “We are not short of commitments. We are short of capital,” Minister Bulitavu remarked, underscoring the importance of the One Ocean Finance Facility as a vital opportunity to finally finance ocean initiatives on the scale the ocean has historically supported humanity.