PACNEWS - TARAWA, 23 OCTOBER 2015 (KIRIBATI GOVT) ---- Supported by the Office of the Beretitenti, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Kiribati Local Government Association (KILGA), 35 members of Abaiang’s Island Development Committee (IDC) worked this week to weave human rights and good governance principles into the implementation of the Whole of Island Approach. The five day workshop took place at Parliament.
The Whole of Island Approach, implemented on Abaiang since 2013, is an innovative approach that aims to increase communities’ capacity to cope with the negative impacts of climate change by implementing a holistic approach that integrates climate change into all developmental activities on the island.
In her opening address delivered on 19 October, 2015, Vice President and Minister of Internal Affairs,Teima Onorio, emphasised the importance of the role of the IDC in addressing the impacts of climate change.
In her address, she said, “Your knowledge of local circumstances and lived experiences make you an invaluable resource and enablers for creating the enabling environment necessary to address and cope with the impacts of climate change on Abaiang. Understanding your roles and responsibilities under the legal and policy framework and adherence to good governance, human rights with strong leadership values are fundamental. Development for Abaiang is development for Kiribati.”
With a team of facilitators from the Office of the Beretitenti, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Women, Youth and Social Affairs, Kiribati Local Government Association, Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Human Rights Programme (RRRT), SPC/GIZ Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR) Programme, including current Member of Parliament of Abaiang and former President and Vice President of Kiribati Hon. Teatao Teannaki, the workshop anticipates the creation of an enabling environment to advance the Whole of Island Approach on Abaiang.
On the topic of leadership, Hon. Teatao Teannaki stressed the importance of good leadership. “Good Governance requires good leadership. Do not spend too much time and get caught up with trivial issues. This often causes unnecessary delays and can derail the implementation of activities as we have learned from past cases. Time is of the essence to ensure the IDC and the Abaiang Island Council are responsive to the needs of the people they serve.”
The human rights dimension of good governance and climate change was also covered during the workshop.
According to SPC RRRT’s Deputy Director, Mark Atterton, “As climate change affects people differently, understanding and applying a Human Rights lens to guide the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities to address the impacts of climate change, including under the Whole of Island Approach, will ensure that the rights of the most vulnerable are protected and fulfilled. Understanding the human rights dimension of climate change is essential.”
Kiribati is a state party to three core human rights conventions – the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities.....PACNEWS