Gabriel Mara often represents Fiji as a negotiator and coordinator at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
By Michelle Curran
Strategic Communications, Pasifika TV
It has been an intense year to say the least for Young Pacific Leader (YPL) alumnus Gabriel Mara.
The 29-year-old ocean advocate and scientist from Fiji often represents his island nation as a negotiator and coordinator at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Group of 77 (G77).
Never one to shy away from a challenge, especially one which will impact his country, Gabriel’s most recent task involved submitting and defending his thesis, while also coordinating at the 62nd sessions of the UN Climate Change Subsidiary Bodies.
“Everything I have done here is to give back to my country and region,” Gabriel says.
“I give it my best … I will always put my hand up until someone else will.”
Gabriel embarked on a joint master’s journey in Islands and Sustainability under the consortium of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain, the University of the Aegean in Greece and the University of Iceland as a nod to his grandparents.
“I decided to do a master’s degree – one each for my grandparents, but my grandfather died right before I left for studies, and my grandmother passed away before I could submit my thesis,” Gabriel explains.
Her passing came just before the YPL Tiaki Moana ocean health workshop, in French Polynesia, which Gabriel took part in alongside 43 participants from 22 countries across Te Moana Nui.
On his return to Fiji after the workshop, Gabriel was inspired to write his thesis, on Understanding Climate-Induced Planned Relocation: The Role of Sacred Worldviews and Indigenous Concepts in Fiji, as a way to give back through his current programme.
“I went to the community to do fieldwork in order to write my thesis, but then I caught dengue fever, which threw me for a bit…nevertheless, I started writing and submitted the first draft in May,” Gabriel says.
While no stranger to high-stress situations, he admits there were some sleepless nights in June, when he had to work on the final thesis iteration, consult with academic supervisors and prepare to defend his thesis to a jury while also negotiating for the seven blocs and 134 developing countries of the G77 and China, in Bonn, Germany, where he was Coordinator for the agenda item relating to National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
“I had to leave the negotiations for two days while I flew to Spain to defend my thesis in person – I had very little flexibility on an alternative,” Gabriel says.
“It is finally submitted…now the motivation to get back to my community and the draw to be at home in Fiji is very strong.”
After taking some well-needed downtime, Gabriel is reflecting on what is next for him.
He says his time in French Polynesia with the YPL initiative proved invaluable as far as connections go, and he and some of the Tiaki Moana cohort are thinking about ways to collaborate on projects in the region soon.
No doubt, whatever is next for Gabriel will involve serving his island home and the Pacific, and most certainly, another challenge to conquer.
Visit the Young Pacific Leaders website for more details on the US Department of State initiative.
