Young Pacific Leaders Ihirau Piton and Anuata Tetuanui (centre) will attend UNOC in Nice, France this month after presenting at Tiaki Moana in French Polynesia.
By Michelle Curran
Strategic Communications, Pasifika TV
All eyes are on the world’s oceans and how leaders will strive to sustain the vital life source, at the upcoming 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) to be held in Nice, France.
From June 9-13, world leaders and ocean experts will hash out issues and concerns, centred on the UNOC theme, Accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.
The conference aims to support further and urgent action the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: To conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Two Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Ihirau Piton and Anuata Tetuanui will attend UNOC, on the back of the Tiaki Moana Ocean Prosperity conference and workshop in French Polynesia.
The pair were part of the 44-strong YPL contingent from across Te Moana Nui, who attended Tiaki Moana, hosted in Tahiti, Mo’orea and Ra’iātea in March, where Ihirau says he was reminded the ocean is not only a “resource”, but also a living relative.
“It is something our ancestors used to respect,” Ihirau says.
“Bringing people from all over the Pacific to Ra’iātea created a safe and powerful space where we could think about ocean protection using not only science, but also with heart and culture.”
Solutions exist already
The 23-year-old Polynesian Languages and Social Sciences student from Mahina, Tahiti Nui, says solutions to our environmental problems already exist in the knowledge and wisdom of traditional peoples.
“It is a reality that lots of people already know…I think the whole system, society, call it whatever you want, carries its own problems, and we are trying to find oceanic ways to solve western issues.
“I think we should also think about our way of living, more than just carrying on about how we can fix things.”
At UNOC, Ihirau will share his thoughts and vision from Tiaki Moana, at a side event presented by Tiaki Moana organisers Blue Cradle, but he says attending the conference is about learning more from the different actors, such as states, scientists and activists navigate global discussions.
“I also want to meet people who can challenge and grow my understanding, and hopefully start some collaborations for future youth-led initiatives.
“Most of all, I want to bring back knowledge and contacts to help empower others at home.
“If I go alone, it’s only so I can come back stronger for the collective.”
In the first year of a PhD in environmental anthropology, focusing on community based marine resource management – or rahui – in French Polynesia, 28-year-old Anuata is looking forward to UNOC, where she will speak at a roundtable talanoa during the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, alongside an American team she is working on a project with.
“The TEMPO project compares the effectiveness of temporary marine closures with that of permanent ones,” Anuata says.
“Our discussion will focus on key differences between temporary and permanent closures, main takeaways for policymakers, whether temporary closures, including periodically harvested areas, should count towards the 30×30 goal and a research agenda for temporary closures over the next five to 10 years.
“I hope to connect with other ocean advocates, learn from innovative initiatives, and better understand how to bridge the gap between international decision-making and local realities while in France,” she adds.
Shared concerns
Like Ihirau, Anuata says Tiaki Moana has made her realise Pacific nations are connected, and collaboration is possible when trying to solve shared concerns.
“Western approaches are often difficult to adapt to local contexts, whereas locally grounded, community-driven solutions are more likely to be relevant and effective,” she says.
Anuata says a key observation from Tiaki Moana was the often-voiced dichotomy between traditional knowledge and practices (associated with protection) and government or external policies (seen as exploitative).
“This left me somewhat perplexed, as in Tahiti, many of those contributing to environmental degradation—both on land and at sea—are also local, and political leaders are also natives.”
Traditional and Western practices are increasingly intertwined, making it difficult, if not impossible, to oppose them, she says.
Education is key
For Anuata, education is key, and it should integrate both traditional knowledge and Western science.
“I believe we need to revitalise our community-based ways of living, which have been weakened by capitalism and individualism.
“In such a context, it becomes difficult to implement bottom-up, community-led initiatives when solidarity within the community is lacking.”
Being part of the United States funded YPL initiative has boosted both Ihirau and Anuata’s self-confidence, leadership, and networking skills, while inspiring them to reconnect with their own culture, and become more actively engaged in protecting and sharing it.
This includes the health of the ocean, an integral part of Pacific life, culture and identity.
Visit the Young Pacific Leaders website for more details on the US Department of State initiative.
