A high-level plenary meeting on “Addressing the existential threats posed by Sea-level rise” was attended by Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku and MEIDECC Minister, Hon. Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu at the United Nations Headquarters in New York this week on 25 September.
On behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, in addressing the high-level meeting on sea-level rise, reminded the UN leaders that “the fate of the region, and perhaps the world, depends on our collective ability to rise to the challenge of climate change and sea-level rise.”
He said, “Last month at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders annual meeting, we called for the inclusion of sea-level rise as a permanent agenda item in the UNGA and other UN processes.”
He noted that the State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2023 report launched in Tonga, revealed 2023 as the warmest year on record…sea level has risen in some parts of the Pacific by approximately 10 to 15cm, which is more than double the global level measured in the past 30 years.
He said the Pacific Islands Forum countries are at the forefront of this global crisis.
During a during the multi-stakeholder panel on sea-level rising and its legal dimensions on Wednesday, Hon. ‘Utoikamanu said, "As coastal states, we face disproportionate impacts from sea-level rise, which pose existential threats to the lives, livelihoods, security, and well-being of our people.”
Furthermore, the Pacific Islands Forum Declaration on the Continuity of Statehood and the Protection of Persons in the face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise emphasized that Pacific statehood and sovereignty will continue notwithstanding the impact of climate change related sea-level rise.
"We underscore today that climate change-related sea-level rise does not and will never pose an existential threat under international law to our statehood and sovereignty," she said.
Hon. 'Utoikamanu was accompanied by the Speaker Lord Fakafanua and Tongatapu Peoples Representative No. 6 Hon. Dulcie Tei and other officials.
