Fighting back against climate change: Canada helps create more resilient coastal communities
News release
November 26, 2018
Nairobi, Kenya
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
The impact that climate change has on the health and sustainability of our water resources threatens the livelihood and health of people around the world, especially people from Pacific islands countries and territories and Small Island Developing States. Ocean warming, acidification and sea-level rise put these coastal communities and their economies at risk.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, reiterated Canada's commitment to working with the global community to support resilient coasts and coastal communities by highlighting the following Canadian investments:
- $10 million to the Pacific Initiative for Biodiversity, Climate Change and Resilience. Funding for this joint initiative with the European Union, France, New Zealand and Australia will support efforts in the Pacific region to adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and improve ocean and fisheries health.
- $20 million for capacity development and technical assistance in Small Island Developing States. This includes areas of public financial management, financial sector supervisory capacity, and fostering inclusive growth.
L'appui dans ces domaines complète les engagements du Canada à l'égard du Programme de développement durable de 2030 et des objectifs d'Aichi pour la biodiversité, ainsi que le Plan d'action de Charlevoix pour la santé des océans et des mers et des collectivités côtières résilientes que le Canada a approuvé lors du Sommet des dirigeants du G7 en juin 2018.
Le ministre Wilkinson a souligné le financement pendant son énoncé d'engagement envers l'économie bleue durable, qu'il a fait au nom du Canada, lors de la journée d'ouverture de la Conférence sur l'économie bleue durable à Nairobi, au Kenya. Cette toute première conférence mondiale sur l'économie bleue durable, dont le Canada est l'hôte conjoint, aura lieu jusqu'au 28 novembre.
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"For coastal communities, like those of the Pacific region and Small Island Developing States, the ocean and their fisheries play a fundamental role in the prosperity of their communities, their food security, and their overall well-being. As a global community, we have the ability to slow down and even reverse the damage created by climate change. By working together through action-oriented collaborations like the Pacific Initiative for Biodiversity, Climate Change and Resilience, and through capacity building, we can build more resilient communities, protect biodiversity, improve the health of our oceans and support sustainable fisheries."
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
