The Minister for the Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination (MNPDC), Hon. Rexon Ramofafia, raised the alarm on rising sea levels at the High-Level Forum on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in Bali, Indonesia, calling for urgent global action to protect vulnerable island nations like the Solomon Islands.
Speaking at the Parallel Thematic Session on based on the forum’s theme, “Rising Sea Level: Strategic Responses for Sustainable Development” recently, Hon. Ramofafia highlighted the critical challenges faced by the Solomon Islands and the importance of global partnerships in addressing these issues.
He called on the global community to support and collaborate with vulnerable nations like the Solomon Islands, ensuring that their voices are heard, and their needs are met in the fight against climate change.
“Partnerships must be deliberately built and nurtured over time,” Minister Ramofafia stated, emphasizing the need for equitable benefits and the importance of managing disagreements and debates to achieve sustainable development goals.
He called for a focus on concrete actions to address the impacts of sea level rise, rather than getting bogged down in analytical work that does not directly contribute to on-the-ground solutions.
Minister Ramofafia acknowledged the geographic and environmental similarities between the Solomon Islands and Indonesia, both being archipelagic nations and part of the Coral Triangle Region.
He emphasized that the Solomon Islands is at the frontline of climate change, experiencing a sea level rise of 8 millimeters per year since 1993 — 2-3 times the global average.
The national planning minister shared personal accounts of the devastating impacts, including the loss of inhabited islands and the intrusion of saltwater into freshwater sources and agricultural lands.
Minister Ramofafia further outlined the Solomon Islands’ strategic approach to sustainable development, centered on the country’s 20-year National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016-2035 and National Climate Change Policy.
Hon. Ramofafia said these frameworks guide the nation’s efforts in addressing environmental issues, including disaster risk management, climate change, and sea level rise, through resilient development partnerships.
He stressed the indispensability of international cooperation and partnerships, especially for a country like the Solomon Islands, which is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change but least responsible for its causes.
Minister Ramofafia also highlighted the importance of leveraging existing regional cooperation mechanisms, such as the Coral Triangle Initiative and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, to strengthen efforts in addressing these challenges.
He also showcased the Solomon Islands’ innovations, including the Solomon Islands Integrated Vulnerability Assessment (SIIVA) methodology, which provides a standardized approach to collecting data and measuring the impacts of climate change.
This tool, developed by the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology, has proven instrumental in planning and implementing adaptation measures.
In conclusion, Minister Ramofafia reiterated the critical role of partnerships in the Solomon Islands’ efforts to address the impacts of rising sea levels and climate change.
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