FSPI focuses on children and climate change

By Edward Tavanavanua, journalism student at USP


Pacific Nature Conference Closing Bulletin 2013, Suva Fiji - Working with grassroots communities on locally-appropriate climate change solutions is a priority focus area for the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI).

The comment was made by FSPI's assistant researcher Mr. Amit Kumar, who was one of the rapporteurs at the weeklong 9th Pacific Island Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas.

Mr. Kumar said one of their key initiatives was the Child-Centered Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (4CA) programme.

He said it was an approach that targeted activities that helped to reduce the vulnerability of children to the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.


"Children and young people are one of the largest groups at risk as a result of climate change," he said.


"Measures that target this group have the potential to reduce the impacts of climate change on a large scale."


Mr. Kumar said one of its aspects was explaining the impact of climate change and how to harness traditional knowledge to address the specific issues.
He emphasised the importance of bridging modern science and traditional knowledge.

Mr. Kumar said the 4CA programme recognised the sustainable potential of traditional knowledge in combatting the impacts of climate change.


FSPI coordinates the programme with its various partners in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Fiji.


The 4CA model is a three-year-programme under the Humanitarian Partnership Agreement between AusAID and Plan International Australia.  


The programme is currently operational in four Asian and six Pacific countries. It ends in June next year.

Edward Tavanavanua is a member of the Media Team providing coverage of the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas from 2 to 6 December in Suva, Fiji. This is a partnership between the Fiji National University (FNU), University of the South Pacific (USP), SPREP and Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) whereby a team of 10 journalism students are mentored by senior reporters as they cover the conference. This activity is funded by the Pacific Assistance Media Scheme (PACMAS).