Peceli Naviticoko 
The newly established mission in Fiji will allow the United States Agency for International Development to deliver on the priorities for addressing the climate crisis set out in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
USAID Administrator Samantha Power says they are having a hard time in Washington forging a lasting political consensus for action at the scale that is needed on the climate crisis.
“The United States is both one of the world’s largest emitters, as you well know, and we are a country that is right now struggling mightily, even as an advanced economy, to manage the effects of extreme weather events, as we saw just a few days ago when Hawaii’s emergency warning system was not activated when historic wildfires devastated the island of Maui.”
Power says USAID will partner with local leaders, stakeholders, and faith-based organizations for solutions.
“We know that the most important thing that we need to do is listen to particularly young leaders to learn about the solutions that you are pursuing and the ideas you have for how investments could accelerate progress.”
The USP Vice Chancellor says this is just the beginning of a larger battle in which students are taking the lead.
“The success of obtaining this advisory opinion from the International Court gave our Pacific youth renewed hope to continue their fight, to be at the forefront against climate change, and, of course, to drive strategies for mitigation, which shows the resilience of our region.”
The newly established USAID Pacific Mission in Fiji will look into ways to mitigate and adapt to this climate crisis in Fiji and the region.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
