Photo collection from the Lessons for Future Action Conference

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 1 Lessons for future action photo file 1 Apia, Samoa - May 26, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow Message from Ewan Cameron: copy and past to the blogspot If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615296828941729697&authkey=Gv1sRgCPTN4sTf3_3BYg&invite=CPzipXw&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

	You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 2 Lessons for future action photo file 2 Apia, Samoa - May 26, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615298187799909681&authkey=Gv1sRgCIP3ro-e08fIigE&invite=CKXf1JEG&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 3 Lessons for future action photo file 3 Apia, Samoa - May 26, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow f you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615299483465695793&authkey=Gv1sRgCLb3pvrj3IfFEg&invite=CNjfkr0F&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 4 Lessons for future action photo file Apia, Samoa - May 25, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615299780932186529&authkey=Gv1sRgCKW295iEhc-T-AE&invite=CJjWjbcM&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 5 Lessons for future action photo file 5 Apia, Samoa - May 25, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615300582816259425&authkey=Gv1sRgCKvJ88Lm2N_L-QE&invite=CJnOxtoM&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 6 Lessons for future action photo file 6 Apia, Samoa - May 25, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615300851285071969&authkey=Gv1sRgCNSN2O3MmIj3qAE&invite=COyivhg&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 7 Lessons for future action photo file 7 Apia, Samoa - May 24, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615301818118110001&authkey=Gv1sRgCOSojIqJqcq7vgE&invite=COb3mc8K&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 8 Lessons for future action photo file 8 Apia, Samoa - May 23, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615302142370678545&authkey=Gv1sRgCJy9mZHS4JKrYw&invite=CMCauvkI&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file Lessons for future action photo file Apia, Samoa - May 24, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615300924828650385&authkey=Gv1sRgCIDRv5yEgI2-BA&invite=CPjFxlQ&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file Lessons for future action photo file Apia, Samoa - May 23, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615304509191383057&authkey=Gv1sRgCOCql4u9lP202wE&invite=CKnMu50M&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file 10 Lessons for future action photo file 10 Apia, Samoa - May 23, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615303950210063121&authkey=Gv1sRgCLGwk4Ojw5X2Yg&invite=CIyq_6gJ&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Ewan Cameron's photo album: Lessons for future action photo file_1 Lessons for future action photo file_1 Apia, Samoa - May 24, 2011 by Ewan Cameron View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=103706389943781169220&target=ALBUM&id=5615301244158391937&authkey=Gv1sRgCLvXubye5Lq8owE&invite=CNGHvYAI&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

Closing the Lessons for Future Action Conference

Closing statement by Mr David Sheppard, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) at the Lessons Learnt for Future Action Climate Change Adaptation Conference, 23 – 26 May, Apia, Samoa

Conference delegates, friends

I’m very pleased to offer some closing remarks to this important and very successful conference.

On Monday, I mentioned that we have gathered the “cream of the cream” in this room in relation to expertise on climate change and disaster risk reduction in small island states. This has been borne out by the quality of presentations and discussions during the week.

Given this wealth of expertise, I also mentioned that SPREP may even try to keep you all here and not let you go back home.

Even if that is not possible – unfortunately and reluctantly - I am sure all of you have been impressed by the great natural beauty of this country, the warmth of its people and the professionalism of approaches to address climate change and other issues.

I think this is best summed up by Janet Larue this morning in discussing one of the conference field trips when she said: “I love Samoa”.

We do too.

I hope many of you are planning a trip back to Samoa – if you do return please consider SPREP as your home away from home – our home is your home – our fale is your fale.

I urged everyone on Monday to be open and generous in sharing our experience and to learn from one another. This objective has been exceeded and I think we have all definitely learnt from each other. Jo mentioned this morning that a particular point from one of the working groups was “a great bit of wisdom”. In fact I think we have heard “many great bits of wisdom” this week and I am sure they will be well captured in the conference report.

This will be a very important and landmark document.

This conference has underlined that there are differences between our regions but there are in fact many more similarities, particularly in terms of the challenges we face and the approaches we are taking. As Leonard Nurse said this morning, “there are many positive things happening in our regions”

From my side I have learned a lot from listening to and talking with colleagues from the Caribbean and Indian Oceans. I will ask SPREP staff to consider how these suggestions and lessons can be best applied in the future development of climate change programmes at SPREP, and in the Pacific region.

Robert asked each of us this morning to consider what we would like as an outcome from this conference.

My answer was - concrete action to ensure this conference is followed up.

We have heard a number of concrete suggestions for follow up from this mornings’ session and a number of practical suggestions are included in the Outcomes Statement from this conference.

Ken Leslie and I will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding today between SPREP and 5 Cs. This is a very important document and a major step towards better information sharing and practical cooperation between the Pacific and the Caribbean.

I am sure this partnership will also provide a useful vehicle for following up many of the key recommendations from this conference. SPREP is really looking forward to working with the 5Cs to implement this MOU and we hope this cooperation can be expanded in the future to include the Indian Ocean region as well.

Ken told me the idea of this conference, bringing together key people from the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Oceans was floated by him about 4 years. It has been great to bring this about and we look forward to the next conference - hopefully we will not have to wait another 4 years and we look forward to meeting in the beautiful Caribbean.

Ken – thank you for your leadership, and perseverance, in bringing this conference from an idea to reality.

This conference has been rich in content. Jo Mummery and her team have provided a masterful summary of key insights which has been well refined by the excellent reports from working groups this morning.

To briefly highlight some key messages I will take from this conference.

First the benefits of working across regions and ensuring there are better mechanisms put in place for sharing experience in the future. We have more work to do on this area. This works to the benefit of us all and can be done easily and quickly.

Second the need to be flexible and look at new ways of working. Climate Change poses many new and different challenges and we need to look at different approaches to how we carry out our core business. By necessity this must involve working across sectors and encouraging and better applying innovation in our work.

Third we must focus on better and more strategic partnerships. We must avoid a silo approach to working. In the Pacific, SPREP is committed to working more collaboratively with other Regional Agencies, particularly with and through the CROP CEO’s Task Force on Climate Change, as well as working better with civil society. This conference has also provided an excellent platform for expanding partnerships between the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Oceans. We now need to ensure this translates to action.

Fourth I would emphasise the issue of sustainability which is vital if we are to better address the many challenges of climate change. This is implicit in our discussions this week on moving from a project to a programme approach, ensuring more long term and sustainable sources of finance, and developing stronger and more effective institutions for climate change. This is also closely linked with the issue of strategic leadership – at all levels - as clearly outlined by Edward Green in his closing remarks yesterday.

Fifth, and finally, there are some very specific key messages from this conference. I awoke on Tuesday morning to the thought resounding in my eardrums that: “The climate has changed, the climate will change, and the climate demands change”. So this is one message that not only resonates but has stuck. Thank you Michael Taylor for this insight.

In closing I would like to thank a number of organisations.

The Government of Australia, and particularly the PASAP Programme, for its most generous support for this conference. We have all appreciated the guidance and wisdom of Martin and Jo and the hard work and dedication of Liz and Cameron throughout the week. Thank you. We really value having the PASAP team at SPREP and feel this is a real win-win situation. This underlines the practical and tangible benefits of partnership.

Thank you again to the Government of Samoa for excellent support throughout this conference and, once again, for the very generous hosting of SPREP in your beautiful country.

Thank you to the SPREP team for your hard work and support. I am honored to lead such a professional and hard working team.

Thank you to all the hard working staff at the Tanoa Tusitala – we have appreciated your hard work and smiles throughout this week.

Finally, I would like to invite you all to at SPREP tonight and wish you all a safe trip back to your home countries.

Thank you again and I would like to declare this very important and significant conference closed.

Holistic view need for climate change adaptation

By Mona  Ainu’u – Broadcasting Corporation of Niue

 

Closing bulletin, June 2011, Apia, Samoa - Global and regional climate change meetings targeting small islands and attended by Pacific Islands countries and territories contribute to strengthening the capacity of Pacific Island countries says Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, Manager of the Pacific Futures Program at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

   

Things that happen at the international and regional level have an impact at the national level, and vice versa. Climate change is a global issue and its impacts are felt in all development sectors of the Pacific.  

“The Pacific Islands participation in the United Nations Framework for the Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) is very important; Pacific Island countries are able to raise national climate change issues and ensure it is considered in the global agenda,” said Dr Pelesikoti.

“What is important are the financial mechanisms established as a result of the UNFCCC COPs that enable Pacific Island countries to implement enabling activities, such as adaptation and mitigation programmes.”

Dr Pelesikoti however recommends that the region responds to climate change risks through a holistic and integrated approach.   Pacific island countries and territories are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in all areas including the socio-economic, ecological and governance factors. But climate change adaptation should consider these vulnerabilities alongside other national development policies and programmes at all levels.  

Under the new SPREP strategic plan 2011 – 2015 (include link please) based on the priorities of member countries, it is aimed that all SPREP members will have strengthened capacity to respond to climate change through policy improvement, implementation of practical adaptation measures and enhancing ecosystem resilience to the impacts of climate change. 

The Climate Change division of SPREP is supporting Pacific island countries and territories in these areas through regional projects such as the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) and Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy (PIGGAREP) an initiative to remove barriers to low carbon development.  Both of these particular programmes are funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme and SPREP.

“We all know the ecological systems and economic systems are all closely linked and both underpin social development among others,  you have to look at the linkages within these systems including climate data to inform the most appropriate adaptation response, one would prioritise”.

Dr Pelesikoti presented at the Lessons for Future Action climate change conference in Samoa during the session on National Planning and Policy Frameworks.  The conference was held from 23 to 25 May, bringing together over 140 participants from the Pacific, Indian and Caribbean Oceans.

Your thoughts…..

Michael Nanua Senior Journalism Student – Vanuatu Institute of Technology

How can we make bottom-up planning for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction more effective?

Quick definition of Bottom up planning – Planning is to start from the community and then this is worked through different levels so it ultimately get folded into national plans.

Rebecca McLean

AUSAID, Suva Fiji

I think the bottom up planning for climate change adaption and disaster risk reduction will be more effective if the governments build a good relationship or strong linkage with the communities and lead some ideas up to national and international level.

Gabor Vereczi

Regional Technical Advisor on Climate Change Adaptation for the Pacific

UN international Development Program

I think the bottom line is that we need to engage with the traditional villagers and their leaders and study their structures and need to engage also with the government representatives, youth groups and the church groups that are also important in the Pacific.

I think that once you find those leaders and you have them fully engaged in the project then they will be your best advocators.

And I think another mechanism is the sharing of the knowledge management for example is when you’re engage with a village for the project, you better take it to another village where they didn’t done this before so that can look and learn on what is happening on the ground. I think it’s better to have constant flow information. 

Marina Illingworth

AUSAID, Suva Fiji

It is very important to create the ownership value with the communities if they want to own a project then the development partners will help and we can assure them that the project will continue because they do understand things happening to our resources.  Because of that I think that a very important aspect of the bottom up planning is to focus more on the ownership.

Kenrick Lesley

Executive Director of the Caribbean Community of Climate change Centre.

We have to remember that the Climate Change will not impact me, I’m too old. It will be for the children and my grandchildren and therefore we have to educate them as to “what is Climate Change” and “what they can do” because children can influence they parents and the parents can influence the policy makers and therefore we need to get this from bottom up and that will continue in our life. But if you take from the top they will only looking for short times. Children will make it for a long term period because Climate Change will be a long term and that’s the way I see the importance for the bottom up planning.

Brenda Koon-Wai-You

Red Cross, Samoa

We do that in Red Cross, sometimes we have to go to the communities and run the awareness programs called Preparedness and Awareness in the Communities. That program includes the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction because the Climate Change is striking now so we have to let them know as some of them have some good ideas that might help contributing in the issue.

Asaia Taape

PM’s office, Tuvalu

Well, in relation to my country Tuvalu where I come from, most of the time the planning is normally done at the community level. We do experience some challenges with their plans because the knowledge at this level is different from ours so we as the government official are trying to help them out with it. Despite this, I can see that it is more effective rather than making the plan at the top and going down.  

Claire Bernard

Planning Institute of Jamaica

We need to have an interface between national level planning and the community level planning because if we adopt the community level planning alone, the action could conflict the national objectives. I think need to have some coincidence between the two then we will recognise the knowledge of the communities as well and the national planning can take that and put it into consideration.  I think we need both to have the best possible solutions.

We just can’t do it one way because sometimes the communities have good knowledge and so on but sometimes they need additional knowledge from outside. Community have to go up as the national have to come down and meet somewhere in the middle.

Augustine Poyotte

Ministry of Physical Development and the Environment

St Lucia.

I think it’s a case that we need to involve the local public a lot more than what has been done in the past.  I think we need to listen to the people who are going to lose and benefit from the varying changes that will be caused by the Climate Change.  But so far I think it will be good to have a mixture of both, I think it is one of the most effective ways to plan – the bottom up planning.