Explore the urgent challenges of climate justice and loss and damage in the Pacific at a pivotal conference co-hosted by the Sydney Environment Institute and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Professor Surya Deva. This event highlights the challenges for climate-vulnerable communities and Small Island Developing States and reflects critically on the COP 29 outcomes, especially in the area of loss and damage

We encourage in-person attendance to take full advantage of this valuable opportunity to network with professionals in the climate justice and adaptation fields. Catering will also be provided.

The Sydney Environment Institute in partnership with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development will co-host a conference on climate justice and loss and damage in the Pacific. It addresses the urgent challenges of climate-induced disasters and their disproportionate impact on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Timed to reflect on the outcomes of COP 29 and the Special Rapporteur’s landmark ‘Climate Justice: loss and damage’ report to the UN General Assembly, this event brings together leading multidisciplinary researchers, practitioners, Pacific and Australian government officials, and civil society organisations. Discussions will focus on multispecies justice, civil society responses and self-organising communities, and climate finance and debt.

This conference aims to forge long-lasting research relationships between diverse stakeholders to discover meaningful pathways for advancing equity, justice, and sustainability for the most vulnerable. A Joint Statement will be released after the event.

This event is sponsored by the Sydney Environment Institute and Gilbert + Tobin.

Featured speakers

The Honourable Biman Prasad MP, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji

The Hon Prof. Biman Prasad MP is the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji and Minister for Finance. Prof. Prasad is an accomplished international scholar publishing on economic development, trade and environmental issues, contributing significantly to the debate on social and economic issues in the Pacific region. He was the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of the South Pacific during 2007-2011. He has also advised for international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, UNESCAP, CLGF, Food and Agricultural Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, AusAID and governments in the Pacific region. He also held the position Professor of Economics and the Chair of the Oceania Development Network, a regional network supported by the Global Development Network. He is the Leader of the National Federation Party.

Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development

Surya Deva is a Professor at the Macquarie Law School and Director of the Centre for Environmental Law and B&HR Access to Justice Lab at Macquarie University. Deva is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of business and human rights. He served as a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (2016-22). Deva has advised UN agencies, governments, national human rights institutions, multinational corporations, trade unions and civil society organisations on issues related to his expertise.

Kristin Tilley, Ambassador for Climate Change, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kristin Tilley is Australia’s Ambassador for Climate Change and plays a leading role in Australia’s international climate diplomacy, with a focus on engaging with the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Prior to taking up this appointment in November 2022, Kristin held several senior positions in the Australian Government, including as head of the Office of Supply Chain Resilience in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and leading the Government’s work on waste and recycling, including designing and implementing Australia’s ban the export of waste. Prior to this, Kristin spent more than a decade working on international and domestic climate change policies and programs, including as a senior adviser to Australia’s Climate Change Minister.

Finau Soqo, Manager, Pacific Resilience Facility

Finau Soqo is the General Manager of the Pacific Resilience Facility which is the first Pacific-led, owned and managed regional climate financing facility for communities. It helps vulnerable Pacific people exposed to climate change and disaster risks, particularly women and girls, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. It’s a self-sustaining financial model that allows the Pacific to invest in small grant based but high-impact projects to make communities disaster-ready. Ms Soqo was the Country Head of Kiribati for ANZ during 2016-2019 and the first woman in the senior position. Before joining ANZ, she was the Acting Chief Investment Officer and Board Secretary for Fijian Holdings Limited.

Lavetanalagi Seru, Fijian climate justice activist

Lavetanalagi (Lagi) Seru is a climate justice activist whose work of over a decade has spanned the areas of youth development, climate change, gender, human rights, and social inclusion in disaster risk reduction. He currently works at Global Greengrants Fund and previously held the role of Regional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network. He has years of experience in climate policy development, campaigns, movement building, and strategy development. He is engaged with many social movements and civil society networks on climate change in the Pacific and globally.

Header image: Tropical Cyclone Winston was one of the strongest storms to hit Fiji in 2016. By ChameleonsEye, via Shutterstock ID: 556060426.