Jamaica will serve as President and Fiji as Vice-President of the eighth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-8), giving island nations a strong voice in what comes next for the environment.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Hon. Lynda Tabuya met Jamaica’s Minister for Water, Environment and Climate Change Hon. Matthew Samuda in New York on September 25 to discuss their shared priorities.
“Our islands face the same rising seas and depend on the same ocean. We must turn that shared experience into stronger global action,” Minister Tabuya said.
Ahead of COP31, Fiji and Jamaica will push to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach, make climate finance easier for island nations to access, and put the link between ocean health and climate action on the agenda.
The Ministers also discussed deep-sea mining and stronger protection for ocean areas within national borders. Minister Tabuya proposed exploring a treaty for these waters, and Minister Samuda supported further discussions.
“Big Ocean States should have a big say in the future of our ocean,” Minister Tabuya said.