Niue’s Minister for Natural Resources, Hon. Mona Ainu’u, is passionate about the Pacific region’s fight for a 1.5 to stay Alive outcome at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
But that passion takes on a new meaning when she speaks about her role as the first Pacific Region’s Political Champion for Gender and Social Inclusion.
Amidst the chaos and the noises at the Sharma El-Sheikh’s Convention Centre, where 55,000 delegates from all corners of the world have congregated to continue the climate change negotiations, Hon. Ainu’u gets emotional talking about the plight of the Pacific with regards to the climate crisis.
“It is very difficult to see, I get very emotional to see our islands submerge, seeing our people displaced and because we experience it, it is very important something has to be done. We just cannot sit back and not do anything,” she said.
Hon. Ainuu is in Egypt wearing different hats. As the Minister for Natural Resources for her country, she is leading Niue’s delegation and will deliver Niue’s national statement at a high-level segment of the conference, placing her among a small group of women leaders to take the global stage at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit.
This is her first time at a COP conference, which she has found as a real eye-opener.
“There is certainly a lot of information to take in but it is relevant information. I’m really appreciative that we are here to share our story with everybody else, as well as learning from everybody else. This is very important; we’ve had to leave our families and journey so far just to express what we have to say in the climate change space,” she said.
“So coming to COP is something we always endeavor to do. We are here to amplify our voices because we cannot do it where we are in the Pacific, we can’t sit still while our environment is being destroyed by forces that are beyond our control, this is why it’s important for us to be here.
“For Niue, I’ve brought a very young team, I want to empower them because a lot of the young people are wanting to learn more, wanting to see what they can do.” Her team includes the Director of Niue’s Met Services, Rossy Mitiepo, the director of PMCU, Felicia Talagi, Climate Change Officer, Taveli Pavihi from the Environment Dept, Maritime Officer, Lynsey Talagi, Avi Rubin from Tofia Niue and the Private Sector and Claudia Viliamu from the Ministry of Infrastructure.
As the Pacific Region’s Political Champion for Gender and Social Inclusion, she takes her role seriously and her message to the world is sharp and simple.
“Do something. Commit to what you have pledged,” she said. “Hear us and work with us because I see the devastating impact of climate change every day, I hear such horrendous stories about the impact on our women and girls.”
Hon. Ainuu is the only female Cabinet Minister in the Government of Niue. She is a Member of Parliament for the village of Tuapa Uhomotu, serving her second term as Tuapa’s MP.
“I feel humbled and privileged to be the first female champion for gender for the Pacific in this climate change space. There is so much that oozes out of your pores as a woman, and you want to say so much but it is very, very difficult. You have to embrace your culture, and as a female you have very limited opportunity and a limited space to bring out what you think.
“For me as a champion, it is very important for us to recognise our females and children and how climate change impacts them. It is also very important for us to acknowledge that gender is not just about the women and girls, it’s also about men and boys, and so I want to bring the message out for the world to please just hear us.
“This is about giving everyone an opportunity, women or men, boys or girls. So being a champion on gender at this COP I really want to find a way that we can enhance, encourage and strengthen what we have already and making sure the bigger countries recognise and acknowledge the harm of what they’re doing, which is really challenging us in the Pacific.”
The 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP27) is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 to 18 November 2022.
It is being attended by Pacific leaders and their delegations, who are advocating for their survival. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is lead of the One CROP, working together to provide support to Pacific Islands.
