Pacific RISA Project Specialist Paula Moehlenkamp recently attended the Our Ocean conference in Palau, where she represented the collaboration between Pacific RISA and the Local2030 Islands Network. Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Palau and the United States, the conference sought to draw international attention to the serious threats facing the world’s oceans and to gain commitments to concrete action around the globe to support marine conservation and climate resilience. Under the theme “Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity,” and headlined by special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Palau President Surangel Whipps, Jr., the 2022 Our Ocean Conference focused on two cross-cutting issues: the ocean-climate nexus, and the importance of a healthy ocean to small island developing states and all communities where the ocean serves as a primary source of sustenance. As the first small island developing state to host the Our Ocean Conference, Palau highlighted the specific challenges that islands face due to the ocean-climate crisis.

In Palau, Ms. Moehlenkamp met with diverse stakeholder groups from across the Pacific Islands region and helped present initial efforts on identifying climate and ocean impact metrics as part of a network of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Dashboards. Ms. Moehlenkamp and the Local2030 Island Network team were involved in three sessions, which featured updates and achievements of the Network:

The Local 2030 Island Network Inaugural Members Roundtable, assembled on April 12, 2022, was the first in-person high-level meeting convened by the Local2030 Islands Network. Secretary Kerry opened the meeting by noting the importance of island leadership in addressing the climate crisis and the opportunity to strengthen lasting relationships to build resilience. President Whipps spoke of fostering knowledge sharing amongst islands, and the importance of accountability for ensuring progress. President Whipps and Secretary Kerry were joined at the in-person gathering by Leaders, Ministers and other senior officials from island economies that are network members including the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Grenada, Guam, Hawai’i and  Ireland, as well as observers to the meeting such as New Zealand and Australia. Members discussed taking concrete action in support of joint objectives, including positioning the Network to support policies and steps to achieve the SDGs through island values and innovation; growing Network membership to represent the global diversity of island economies; and launching Communities of Practice (CoPs) to build local capacity around high-priority issues. The agenda focused on facilitating a candid high-level dialogue around key policy issues and providing a platform for sharing concrete island solutions to climate and sustainability topics.

Building on the Island Network Inaugural Members Roundtable event, the Local2030 Islands Network convened Data for Ocean & Climate Resilience Side Event on April 12th, which included a panel to discuss the Hawai’i Aloha+ and Guam Green Growth framework and utility of dashboards and data to track local progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero of Guam provided opening remarks and spoke about the process of building the Guam Green Growth action framework in order to stand up the dashboard for tracking progress towards Guam’s Sustainable Development Goals. Other speakers included Data & Innovation Director Kaimana Bingham from the Hawai’i Local 2030 Hub, Hawai’i Island Mayor Mitch Roth, Director of UOG Center for Island Sustainability Austin Shelton, and Minister Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl of the Ministry of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism, and Development. Members agreed that a dashboard mechanism for tracking progress can be key to promoting transparency and accountability.

The impact of the Micronesia Challenge to 2020 was showcased at the Micronesia Challenge 2030: Ocean people Leading Ocean Action Side Event. The Micronesia Challenge has expanded conservation of marine and terrestrial environment, leveraged significant resources, and scaled leadership in technical capacity across Micronesia, inspiring global commitment from other regions, including Hawaii. This event formally launched the Micronesia 2030 Challenge to spearhead a blue recovery and decade of action to achieve the UN2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Panelists included former Palau President Tommy Remengesau Jr, Celeste Conors, Executive Director at Hawaii Green Growth, Palau Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment Steven Viktor, and Gov. Leon Guerrero from Guam. Ms. Moehlenkamp engaged with stakeholders involved in the Micronesia Challenge and discussed how the 2030 Micronesia Challenge goals can be highlighted and tracked through dashboards. 

The Hawaii team also held a briefing for President Whipps on the Palau dashboard, highlighting key data tracking progress towards SDG 14 – Life Below Water. They discussed the construction of a Palau Green Growth framework and a Palau Dashboard. The President identified 5 focus areas to highlight on the dashboard: Strengthening the Palauan Workforce, Protecting Livelihoods, Investing in Our Children, Taking Care of Our Health and Social Services, and Ensuring Security and Safety. 

Ms. Moehlenkamp and Ms. Bingham also met with Charlene Mersai, National Environmental Protection Council, Mr. Ngiraibelas Tmetuch, Director of Palau Visitors Authority and Kaleb Udui, Jr., Minister of Finance, Minister of Finance to discuss leadership and options for the dashboard. The importance of designating a local dashboard coordinator that convenes stakeholders from diverse sectors across Palau to identify relevant data sets and appropriate SDG impact metrics that are inclusive, stakeholder-driven, and will meet community needs was discussed.

After a busy conference week, the team was invited to join a tour with the Palau Visitors Authority and experienced Palau’s natural wonders, including the world famous Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake. As many conference attendees joined the tour, it presented an excellent opportunity to network and discuss opportunities to conserve Palau’s uniquely rich and biodiverse natural environment.