COP26 Commonwealth Pavilion (Blue Zone, Hall 4) 

Small island nations are particularly prone to the devastating impacts of climate change. With nearly a third of the population living on land less than 5m above sea level, they are vulnerable to the threat of rising sea levels, degrading their coastlines, communities and livelihoods. Extreme weather events, such as tropical cyclones, storm surges, heavy rains and tsunamis, also often significantly affect the economic and social development of these low-lying island nations.

By 2050, Fiji’s annual losses due to extreme weather events could reach 6.5 percent of GDP because of the impact of climate change, with more than 32,000 people pushed into hardship each year. These threats have been compounded in 2020 by the global international health crisis and widespread economic trauma. The biggest economic shock in peacetime since the great depression, Covid-19 is having a severe impact on employment and investment across all sectors.

Knowing first-hand the importance of building resilience to climate impacts, Fiji remains at the frontline in advocating policies to counter climate change and facilitating various sources of climate finance both at international and domestic levels. To support the Government of Fiji and other Pacific SIDS facing similar difficulties, namely Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, UNITAR-UNOSAT and the Commonwealth Secretariat joined up for the CommonSensing solution with the initial support of the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP). With the support of Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), not only existing Pacific partner countries but also other SIDS and LDCs in Asia and Africa regions will benefit from the CommonSensing in the years ahead.