Fiji recently participated at the inter-governmental Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in the Eastern European capital of Tbilisi, in Georgia.
Fiji was represented by the Minister for Local Government Samuela Saumatua who joined representatives from 104 countries to commemorate the 1977 Tbilisi Declaration and 35 years of global educational efforts toward a sustainable world.
This Declaration which was adopted at the world’s First Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in 1977 established a framework for formal and informal environmental education activities at the local, national, and international levels.
During his High Level Segment official address, Minister Saumatua stressed that from a Pacific perspective, education for Sustainable Development is for cultural/spiritual survival and continuity, which are values that had sustained Pacific communities for millennia. Thus, he said that Fiji had cradled this “Education for Sustainable Development” concept to highlight its special vulnerabilities.
As part of the post Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development that was held in Brazil earlier this year, the objective of this Conference is to:
- to acknowledge achievements of the global community in the implementation of Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) during the designated Decade for Sustainable Development (2005-2014);
- carry forward the global appeal for Environmental Education, as a means for sustainable development, set forth by the Tbilisi Declaration of 1977;
- address the need for a balanced approach between environmental conservation and development, as well as persisting and emerging challenges of sustainable development and education, including but not limited to poverty, unequal access to schooling, uneven distribution of resources and opportunities, increased pressure on the carrying capacity of ecosystems and climate change; and
- to develop recommendations in light of the developments particularly those resulting from the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.
The outcome document, the “Educate Today for a Sustainable Future Tbilisi 2012 Communiqué”, is in line with the Rio +20 Outcome document, “The Future We Want”.
The Minister raised the critical role of an Integrated Communication, Education and Public Awareness for Fiji and the Pacific rural communities as being one of the most vulnerable and weakest segments of rural communities globally.
He indicated that this vulnerability warrants active partnership from all stakeholders; including children, youth and women organisations, inter-faith religious groups, indigenous groups and resource owners, private sectors, media, academia, development implementing institutions, funding institution and politicians.
All have a collaborating role to value, mainstream, share and apply this Education for Sustainable Development Tbilisi 2012 Communique’, as contained in the the Outcome Document : “Educate Today for a Sustainable Future”.
The Minister also informed the conference that Fiji had recently spearheaded significant developments in its Melanesia Sub Region for greater co-operation, collaboration and partnerships, in a Rethinking Oceania concept, Green Growth and Nature-Based solution initiatives.
He also made mention of Fiji’s needs, like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of adequate and timely financial resourcing, provision of appropriate technical support and targeted capacity building measures to assist national and local efforts that are already in place to successfully implement Education for Sustainable Development programmes and activities, beyond 2014. Minister Saumatua also called for more empowerment of local personnel.
Out of the 104 nations that were represented, only five (5) were from the Pacific Small Island Developing States namely Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Western Samoa, Kiribati & Fiji.
The Minister was accompanied by the Head of the Project Management Unit and National Co-ordinator for Capacity Building Assessment (Multilateral Environmental Agreements), Mr Sele Tagivuni.
