UNRC Remarks at the Launch of the Collaborative Disaster Awareness Materials 

On behalf of the United Nations in the Pacific, thank you for the opportunity to join today’s important launch of disaster awareness materials. 

Indeed, I’m delighted to be here as today’s event combines two of my key priorities and critical areas for sustainable development – the role of business and the role of youth.  

Last November, I had the pleasure to attend and speak at the Top Executive Conference and witness firsthand the ingenuity of Fiji’s private sector, and the important role played by Fiji’s Commerce and Employers Federation. I spoke to the power and potential of business as a driver of sustainable development - an area I’m passionate about and hope to work with the Federation further on.  

In my six months as Resident Coordinator in Fiji to date, I’ve also had the opportunity to witness the focus of youth here on sustainable development issues, especially climate change. Whether planting mangroves, cleaning up the seawall, or advocating to the highest levels at COP28 in Dubai, Fiji youth are a critical force of change both here in Fiji and globally. And with youth making up over 60 per cent of Fiji’s population, their efforts on sustainable development are the cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient Fiji.  

The launch today of disaster awareness materials for school students, by Fiji’s Business Disaster Resilience Council in collaboration with Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and supported by the United Nations, is a great example of the multistakeholder collaboration needed on climate change and disasters.    

In this vein, there are three points I’d like to cover today:  

1. Firstly, to highlight the key role of the private sector in building resilience to climate change and disasters; 
2. Secondly, to recognise the important work of the Fiji Business Disaster Resilience Council in this regard; and  
3. Thirdly, to invite greater private sector collaboration with the UN on critical priorities for Fiji.  

At the outset, I want to recognise the major challenges facing Fiji because of climate change and disasters - a fate primarily not of Fiji’s own making but rather due to rising emissions and a lack of effective global action to curb climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major health and economic disaster on top of this.  

I am sure you have all experienced firsthand the impacts of cyclones, floods, draughts and other disasters – on your families, your communities, and your businesses.  

And of deep concern, the science is telling us that such impacts are only set to get worse, particularly if the world fails to hold to the 1.5 degrees temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.  

According to the World Bank, by 2050, Fiji’s annual losses due to extreme weather events could reach 6.5 per cent of GDP because of the impact of climate change, with more than 32,000 people pushed into hardship each year.  

Some estimates point to a need to spend FJ $9.3 billion over ten years to reduce Fiji’s climate vulnerability. This includes measures to build inclusive and resilient towns and cities; improve infrastructure services; climate-smart agriculture and fisheries; conserve ecosystems; and build socioeconomic resilience.  

There is a critical need to unlock global climate finance to deliver such measures in Fiji, and developed countries need to deliver on their climate finance commitments and commit to a new global climate finance goal – which will be a big-ticket item for COP29 later this year.  

And of course, you - the Fiji private sector - have a critical role to play in advising Government and partners on how best to climate proof Fiji’s towns, cities, infrastructure, and industries, while also climate proofing your own businesses. You have the evidence and powerful stories to tell on why finance and technical support is needed, and where it is most needed.  

This is where the important work of the Fiji Business Disaster Resilience Council comes in. The UN, through its Connecting Business Initiative, is pleased to support the work of the Council.  

The Connecting Business Initiative engages the private sector strategically before, during and after emergencies, increasing the scale and effectiveness of the response and recovery in a coordinated manner. Since its launch in May 2016, the Connecting Business Initiative Member Networks have responded to 132 crises, mobilized US $91 million and assisted more than 23 million people.  

The Fiji Business Disaster Resilience Council is one of 16 networks supported under the Connecting Business Initiative. Since its establishment, the Council has provided an important platform for the private sector in building Fiji’s climate resilience and preparing for and responding to disasters and emergencies.   

Congratulations to the leadership and members of Fiji’s Business Disaster Resilience Council and the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation. The Council’s theme of ‘Resilient Businesses, Ready for Tomorrow’ speaks to your commitment to face front-on the challenges at hand and work collaboratively for Fiji’s future.   

My third and final message today is to invite greater private sector engagement with the UN, building on the success of the Connecting Business Initiative.  

With 25 UN agencies operating in Fiji, we have agreed with the Government of Fiji on an overall Country Implementation Plan capturing the work of all UN agencies in support of Fiji’s priorities for planet, people, prosperity and peace.  

When it comes to climate change and disasters, UN agencies are working to increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems with a focus on women, youth and people with a disability. We are also working with Government agencies and the NDMO to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems; increase preparedness for disasters in the health and education sectors; support ecosystem management; and develop emergency management plans, among other priorities. When disasters strike, the UN, through its Pacific Humanitarian Team, is ready to support national-led disaster response efforts.  

We are keen to increase our collaboration with the private sector, and we have excellent examples to build on. 

For instance, the UN is implementing a programme in Fiji on Investing in Coral Reefs and the Blue Economy. This programme uses blended finance to catalyze investments in blue economy businesses, including locally managed marine protected areas, conservation and eco-tourism companies, and an innovative organic fertilizer factory.  

Over the four-year lifetime of this programme, it is expected to leverage up to US $50 million in additional investments for the blue economy in Fiji.  

Another example is a UN - Fiji Government initiative to increase access to climate and disaster risk financing and insurance. The initiative is bringing together public and private stakeholders, particularly in the digital space, to provide microinsurance to 14,000 individuals and 2,000 low-income households. Nearly half of the beneficiaries are women. 

I’m keen for the UN to expand on this collaboration - recognising the critical role played by the private sector in creating employment, driving growth and providing services. We want to work with you to support growth that is sustainable and inclusive, to ensure protection of human rights and labour standards, and to build Fiji’s skills for tomorrow.  

I encourage you to engage with me, and with representatives of UN agencies based in Fiji, to share your ideas on how best to build collaboration. One idea would be to establish a UN Global Compact chapter in the Pacific. The UN Global Compact is an initiative to get businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies and report on their implementation. 

For Fiji’s Business Disaster Resilience Council, we have a new head of the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs - Mr Tareq Talahma and a relatively new head of the UN Development Programme - Ms Tuya Altangeral. Both Tareq and Tuyua are highly experienced in their fields, and I hope you’ve had a chance to already engage with them.  

In closing, let me once again thank Fiji’s Business Disaster Resilience Council and the National Disaster Management Office for the development of the disaster awareness materials we are launching today - for Fiji school students. 

Initiatives such as these help ensure we are all resilient and that our youth leaders of tomorrow are indeed ready.  

Vinaka, dhanyavaad, thank you.