CLIMATE CHANGE ADVOCACY & RESETTLEMENT

Objectives

•    To provide education on the impacts of climate change nationally and regionally.
•    To provide education on the impacts of international policies on the environment.
•    To create awareness, lobby and build alliances on issues pertaining to resettlement of populations.
•    To advocate for a regional identity around solidarity, reciprocity and compassion.


Activities (to achieve the Objectives)

•    Lobby at regional and international forums. The emphasis is to bring the Pacific churches concern and vision of human
      communities that takes care of themselves and the environment, hence, exercising their responsibility to be good
      stewards of God’s creation. The lobbying will include dialogue with Pacific government officials to see their position. It
      will also include building strong alliances among the Pacific churches and political leaders to achieve this common
      cause.
•    Conduct workshops at the national level with member churches on climate change impacts on their livelihood and
      resettlement within countries, and also work out strategies to counter the impacts.
•    Conduct research on resettlement modeling, taking into account the human rights, governance and economic impacts.
      The purpose of the research is to provide evidence on the need for populations to resettle. The results will be used as
      educational resource material for advocacy work conducted by regional inter-governmental bodies and national
      governments. It will also provide the basis for related work on human rights, governance and economic modeling.
•    Have discussions with political and church leaders on a regional identity. These forums will be constantly revisited and
      revised since the impending resettlement of populations will become a major issue in the Pacific in the immediate
      future. They will occur whenever the PCC management travels to countries in the region.


Programme Assessment

Performance

Key activities implemented have been national, regional and international advocacy and awareness programs. The way we are living today is fast becoming unsustainable to ourselves, our future generation and to our environment.

As a lead up to the March 2009 international climate change meeting in Copenhagen, PCC’s core message has been a need to revaluate and pose the question: What is our responsibility as stewards of God’s good creation?

This message was promoted through:

•    A  Pacific wide Petition Signing campaign.
•    Implementation of activities laid out in the Moana Declaration.
•    Visits by PCC staff to Pacific Island diplomatic missions based in Suva and New York.
•    Primary and High School visits.
•    PCC conducted workshops and participation in other workshops invited to.
•    Media interviews and media articles written by PCC that were broadcast nationally, regionally and internationally.
•    Active participation in the World Council of Churches working group on Climate Change and the global campaign for
      Climate Board.
•    International and regional advocacy meetings with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
      Pacific Island Forum, Churches and donor partners.
•    A ready supply of COP15 analysis centered on kingdom values promoting justice, fairness and equity together with pre
      and post Copenhagen.
•    Assistance in formulating church policies on climate change.

The advocacy work of the program, which helped raise PCC’s profile regionally and internationally, was the highlight in 2009. Hence, invitations were received to attend critical climate change forums to make our views heard.

These forum participation involved community church groups, diplomatic missions, PCC member churches, Pacific Youth forums, regional and international meetings on policy changes, and the World Council of Churches working group on climate change.

The Fiji government also approached the PCC to be its official advisor on climate change adaptation in Copenhagen.

PCC has thus become a sought after authority on advocating the rights of the marginalized and vulnerable in the Pacific in relation to climate change, and the policies to bring about reform.

Relevance

As the Pacific prepares to bear the onslaught of graver climate change related challenges, the relevance of PCC’s activities in this regard is extremely topical.

To continually make aware climate change impacts and ways to adapt and mitigate the changes needed are still relevant.
The issue of resettlement due to induced sea levels rising is the next critical step for PCC.

Incorporating the economy and ecology with resettlement will form the planning structure for the next phase of the program.

Outcomes

Preparations for eventual resettlement of Pacific communities must begin now rather than later. Education and the accompaniment of the churches on this issue will be a priority. Related issues of human rights, sovereignty and identity, and leadership will also be priority research areas PCC will be focusing on in 2010 and beyond.

A disaster risk reduction program needs to be in place before resettlement takes place. With this in mind, PCC is working with the churches to ensure all communities continue to live in dignity and to the fullest.

PCC has developed a pilot program to cater for this. The Climate Impact on Disaster Risk Assessment (CIDRA) is a process driven methodology implemented on the most vulnerable Pacific communities to date. These are Tuvalu, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The ecological crises brought about by climate change we are facing today is directly linked on the one hand with poverty and wealth, and the growing inability of our environment to provide for basic needs like food, water, land and shelter.

Hence, this program will work closely with the other PCC programs on Human Rights, Globalization and Trade, Good Governance and Leadership and Ecumenism to assist the people of the Pacific in adapting, mitigating and resettling on issues pertaining to Climate Change.


Work Done Up to Date

•    Workshop on Development and the Environment: Cook Islands, March 2010


Planned Activities

•    International Conference on Situating Resettlement in the Global Agenda: Brussels, April 2010
•    Conduct in-country interviews and document views on resettlement to inform PCC policy advocacy and lobbying
     approaches with a view of capturing the aspiration and fears of the most vulnerable communities: Fiji, April to September 2010
•    Research on PIC regionalism, PIC identities, PIC migration/resettlement factors (past, present, future), and The Role of
      Pacific Churches in the Resettlement Agenda (academic/theological): Fiji, May to December 2010
•    Lobby Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to situate Resettlement on their agenda: Fiji, June to August 2010
•    Organise side-event on Resettlement at Pacific Island Forum meet: Vanuatu, August 2010
•    Review of Pacific Church Leaders meeting on Resettlement and Climate Change: Fiji, August 2010
•    Awareness campaign on a Climate Change and Resettlement policy for Pacific Island Churches highlighting poverty,
      wealth and ecology: Fiji, September 2010
•    European Pacific Climate Conference: Berlin, November 2010
•    Workshop on Community Awareness on the link between climate change and poverty, wealth and ecology: Fiji,November 2010