By Naisa Koroi

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday stressed the importance of teamwork when closing the Climate Change Week at Suva’s Ratu Sukuna Park.

“You might ask, what has Fiji got to teach the world about climate change,” he said.

“The answer is very simple. We Fijians know the value of teamwork as it has taken us to sporting greatness and is taking us to greatness as a nation.”

He said Fiji had displayed teamwork again this week when all Fijians came together for Climate Change Week.

Like the coach of a great sporting team he said: “We can also lead and inspire others to be a team player.”

He intends to do this with the nations of the world as COP President supported by his star players – the chief negotiator Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, and Fiji’s Climate Champion, Minister Inia Seruiratu, along with other members of the COP23 Fiji team.

Mr Bainimarama said Fiji’s game plan is –

n To keep the global climate negotiations on track;

n To get everyone to fully implement the Paris Agreement; and

n Limit the global temperature to 1.5 degrees above that of the industrial age.

To get there, he said he would remind everyone of a very simple fact: “We will only get there through teamwork. Every nation committing itself to climate change action in the way Fiji has.

“The citizens of the world coming together as one world – Team World – and doing what we must do to save our precious planet from the ravage of climate change.”

That was the message he was taking to the world as President of COP23 and the message he would take to Bonn and beyond.

“Fiji, as a small nation, has a very big job to do. But teamwork has got us over the line before and with God’s help, we intend to do it again,” the PM said.

He said he was delighted to wind up a successful week of climate action.

The PM acknowledges the assistance of Fiji’s development partners – the nations and organisations that are making the COP campaign possible.

“And I have the great pleasure this morning to announce a new donation of US$800,000 (F$1,620,120) from the government and the people of Russia,” he said.

This, he said, was on top of the previous contributions or commitments from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Estonia, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, plus other organisations like GIZ from Germany, the UNDP and the Asian Development Bank.

Mr Bainimarama urged all to read the leaflet in the three languages that were circulated because it contained everything what people needed to know and what people could do as a climate change warrior.

Hundreds gathered at Ratu Sukuna Park yesterday for the closing of the Climate Change Week, with this started off with a march led by the PM and his wife Mary, from the Suva Flea Market.

Information taken from: https://fijisun.com.fj/2017/09/30/climate-change-week-teamwork-our-strength-says-pm/