Stockholm+50 Fiji Consultations

May 18, 2022

Government representatives, colleagues, distinguished guests.

A very good morning to you all.

I am delighted to be here today and welcome you all on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme to the first of a series of  Stockholm+50 National Consultations. 

Stockholm+50

In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm was held, and it was essentially the first conference that managed to address environmental issues on the right level.  Fifty years later, the United Nations is back in Stockholm to commemorate that important milestone.

In 1972, some 122 countries attended, and participants adopted a series of principles on the environment, including the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment. The United Nations Environment Programme was created as a result of the conference.  

50 years later

Now, 50 years after that Stockholm meeting, it’s time to reflect: have we done as much as we could have?  

The key focus of the event is high-level dialogue. The National consultations is the foundation of these dialogues –all your inputs - the challenges raised, solutions and innovations from countries, companies, youth, women, people with disabilities and individuals will form the basis of discussions at this global meeting. Hence the national consultations that will ensue in the coming days.

UNDP is working closely with UNEP and other UN entities in this initiative and has been asked to organize and facilitate these national consultations in close partnership with governments and stakeholders in the Pacific. We are also doing the same in some 170 countries across the globe right now. 

National Consultations

The Technical Working group of which you all are a member of and participating today and tomorrow plays a very critical role in this process as your inputs will contribute to the development of Fiji’s national report to Stockholm.

The national dialogues and consultations really is a national platform for gathering views and inputs of Fijians who want to have their say or voice their concerns in the world’s direction for broader work on Nature, Climate and Energy.

Your substantive contributions in the dialogue will help set the tone and direction for the Stockholm+50 Conference taking place in conjunction with the Word Environment Day on the 2-3 of June.

The main message of this global meeting is that we are reaching a tipping point, because we have been poor custodians of our fragile home. Today, the earth is facing a triple planetary crisis.

Climate disruption.

Nature and biodiversity loss.

Pollution and waste.

This triple crisis is threatening the well-being and survival of millions of people around the world- putting the Sustainable Development Goals in jeopardy.

While many milestones have been reached over these past 50 years, there is still much to be achieved. The latest IPCC report reaffirmed the urgent need for global action on climate change now. Emissions are higher than ever, but the rate of increase is slowing — the world has one last chance to realize the 1.5°C ambition.

Climate change, extreme weather events and disasters are our lived reality in this part of our world and its impacts are greatest on our people in our island nations. Therefore, climate action must be our central development agenda. It is an integrated and crosscutting agenda that requires broad based partnership between all of us – people, civil society, private sector and the governments.

With these consultations, we want to ensure that the Stockholm+50 conference in June will bring concrete inputs that would benefit Fiji, its ecosystem and people the most.

We must leave them a planet that is livable and where humanity can continue to thrive.

So, I hope you will speak up, and let your vision, and your views, be heard in these consultations.

Let us make sure our leaders bring the ambition and action needed to address our triple planetary emergency.

We are looking forward to working together with all of you, and take action for people, planet and prosperity.

I thank you all for your attention and wish you every success in your consultations.

Vinaka vakalevu.