The island nation of Fiji was struck by 13 cyclones since the ratification of the Paris Agreement but Fijians are not weathering these horrors as helpless victims.
These were the words of Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in his address at the ‘Climate Frontliners Coastal Communities in implementing the Paris Agreement (NDC and NAP) in Small Island Developing States’ side event at COP26 in Glasgow.
He said despite those destructive cyclones, Fijians had come out stronger and courageous.
“For every story of sorrow, there are ten more I could tell of strength and courage,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“Our rallying cry that we are stronger together than any cyclone has spurred us in our campaign to build back better.
“We are adapting and we are improving our systems of disaster warning and readiness,” he told leaders.
In the context of the frontline of climate risks, Mr Bainimarama said resilience was about access to resources – citing seawalls, stronger homes and schools, parametric insurance, safe and equitable relocation of communities, and cyclone-proofing infrastructure.
“Here at COP26, it is about delivering on the US$100billion promise and making sure that finance is affordable and used effectively.
“In SIDS, we have no choice but to put all our resources work now to save lives and set an example the world can follow.”
