Vanuatu featured at the International meeting on Biodiversity

Pacific Voyage Media Team

17 October, Nagoya, Japan - Vanuatu will be showcasing several of its successes in nature conservation by featuring as guest speakers at key events during the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) in Nagoya, Japan over the next two weeks.

The Government of Japan is the host of the CBD COP 10, bringing together thousands of people from around the globe to negotiate on ways to universally work together to help save the Planet’s biodiversity.  Vanuatu is teaming with other Pacific island delegations to form a united front that will strengthen the voice of the Pacific at this 6,000 delegate-strong conference.

Vanuatu’s Minister for Lands, Natural Resources, Geology, Energy and Environment, Hon. Paul Teluluk, will lead their delegation. Also attending are the Ministry’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jean Tranut; and Ms. Touasi Tiwok, Senior Biodiversity Officer. Ms. Seni Nabou of Greenpeace is also part of the Vanuatu delegation.

L - R:  Ms. Seni Nabou, Ms. Touasi Tiwok

“Vanuatu has a lot of activities that we are involved with while at this meeting, but not just that, we want to be fully participating in the negotiations,” said Ms. Tiwok.

“We discussed a lot of issues at our preparatory meeting and Vanuatu wants to ensure that we help address these so this conference is a fruitful one for the Pacific.”

As part of the Pacific coordination at the CBD COP 10, the issues on the agenda which have a common interest are shared.  These issues are being addressed by different country representatives and Vanuatu is following the topics Agricultural Biodiversity and Forestry Biodiversity on behalf of the Pacific. 

“Food security in Vanuatu is an important issue, more so in the face of the climate change impacts, and so we are working towards going back to our traditional methods to improve and strengthen what we already have in Vanuatu.”

Ms. Tiwok at the CBD COP 10 registration

The CBD COP 10 is held from 18 – 29 October and is hosted by Nagoya Japan.  There are 14 Pacific island countries attending – The Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji,  Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.