Alitia Bainivalu, the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, has been named the advocacy champion for the Commonwealth Living Lands Charter – A Commonwealth Call to Action on Living Lands (CALL) strategy. The CALL was officially adopted during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda, in June 2022.
The initiative focuses on protecting global land resources, taking coordinated measures to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation or desertification, along with promoting sustainable and climate-resilient land management practices.
Ms. Bainivalu will collaborate with various advocacy champions, including representatives from the Pacific region such as New Zealand, Tonga, Australia, and Samoa, to push these vital issues forward. Additionally, she will champion the thematic working group focused on ‘Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and Climate Resilient Development.’