Last week over 300 delegates from countries around the world, international institutions, civil society organisations and business leaders came together for the Pre-COP meeting in Nadi, Fiji. The event was designed to allow the leaders of member parties to exchange views on key political deliverables before COP23, the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Bonn, Germany from the 6-17 November 2017.
As Fiji prepares to take on its role of Presidency for the COP23 meeting, this forum provided the platform for participants to agree upon key actions and an agenda for the official event in November.
Fiji’s vision for its COP23 Presidency focuses on transparency and inclusivity for all, advancing the Paris Agreement and accelerating climate action for vulnerable societies. In particular, Fiji draws upon its own experience as a small island developing state in the Pacific impacted by climate change. In the Pacific, scientific evidence highlights that common climate risks are having direct impacts on Pacific island communities as there has been increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and in waterborne and vector-borne diseases.[1]
The Pre-COP23 kicked off on Monday with a “Partnership Day” aiming to build on the outcomes of the Climate Action Pacific Partnership (CAPP) conference held in Suva in July 2017. This session provided the opportunity for participants to highlight best practices for climate change adaptation, examine potential transformative innovations and develop productive processes. Following the Partnership Day, the Tuesday and Wednesday sessions enabled participants to express their expectations and views on the deliverables in COP23. Discussions included identifying challenges and possible solutions for climate change adaptation; identifying strategic approaches to accelerate the global transformation towards carbon neutrality; and the next steps for the Facilitative Dialogue in 2018.
The opportunity for a Pacific island country to hold Presidency of such an international forum is a major opportunity to advocate on climate change issues and actions that protect and promote the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly those of small island states. This includes reaffirming international commitments for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, in addition to agreeing upon new actions and initiatives that support climate change adaptation.
WHO has been participated in the Pre-COP23 meeting to ensure that health issues are addressed in every aspect of climate change adaptation. Following the special session on Health and Climate Change at COP 22 on “Health Actions for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement”, WHO is advocating that the Climate Change Agreement itself is a public health treaty. “The right to health”, acknowledged in the Paris Agreement, will be central to the actions taken.
In order to monitor the progress been made by the health community and continue advocating for the importance of promoting and protecting health from climate change, a High-Level Event is proposed at COP23 under the Fijian Presidency. With special attention to the least developed countries and small island developing states, the High-Level Event would;
- Showcase the ongoing initiatives of national governments, and the wider health community, in implementing the health commitments of the Paris agreement, and the health and climate agenda, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.
- Assess the current state of progress, and identify the ongoing barriers to stronger action to protect and promote health while addressing climate change.
- Secure health as a permanent agenda of climate change discussions enabling it to be officially recognized in the following COP’s