PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM - TONGA
EXPERTS FOR COMMENT
Friday, August 23. The following experts are attending the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga next week and are available to provide comment.
PIF is the most important annual political meeting for the Pacific region. The theme for this year’s PIF is “Transformative Resilient Pasifiki: Build Better Now”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to attend.
Experts available to interview:
Tim Flannery, Climate Council Chief Councillor
Professor Tim Flannery is one of Australia’s leading writers on climate change. An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, Professor Flannery was named Australian of the Year in 2007.
Sala Dr George Carter, Climate Council Fellow
Salā Dr George Carter is an international relations scholar and climate diplomacy expert. He has written widely, is part of regional and national capacity mechanisms, and a Pacific island negotiator at United Nations climate meetings. George is Senior Fellow and Deputy Head of the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (ANU), where he is also the Director of the ANU’s Pacific Institute.
Climate Council Fellow Dr Wesley Morgan will not be attending the Forum in person but is also available for comment.
Dr Wesley Morgan is an expert in multilateral climate cooperation, with a PhD in international relations, extensive research on UN climate strategies, and over a decade of experience working and advising on policy in the Pacific islands.
Rufino Varea, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network Regional Director
The Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) is a regional alliance of civil society organisations working on climate change across Pacific Island countries. Rufino Varea is an expert on marine ecotoxicology, environmental risk assessments, and the impact of the climate crises and pollution on Indigenous and Coastal Communities in the Pacific. He also has extensive experience providing scientific and technical support to Pacific climate negotiators at high level meetings.
Joseph Sikulu, 350.org Pacific Managing Director
Joseph Sikulu is a Tongan climate campaigner from Ha’apai and Vaini in Tongatapu and grew up on Dharug country, Western Sydney. He is an Environmental, Cultural and Queer activist who has worked over the last decade years to build a movement of strong Pacific Climate Warriors across Pacific communities both on island and in the diaspora. He also serves on the Secretariat for the Pacific Climate Warriors and is a Pacific Champion for the Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty.
Alisi Rabukawaqa, Pacific Climate Warriors Council Elder
Alisi Rabukawaqa is one of Fiji’s leading ocean experts, who for the past decade also worked in environment conservation, climate activism and indigenous peoples’ traditional rights and knowledge advocacy. She has most recently worked as a marine scientist with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, recognising that protected oceans are a solution to climate change and the resilience of the Pacific people. She sits on the Pacific Climate Warriors Council of Elders as the Melanesian representative, providing traditional knowledge on working with Pacific communities and indigenous perspectives to their climate justice work.
Itinterunga (Rae) Bainteiti, Pacific Climate Warriors Council Elder
Rae Bainteiti is a climate activist, social worker and researcher who hails from Banaba and Kiribati with ancestral ties to Fiji and the Cook Islands. Raised and educated in Fiji, Rae’s work is deeply connected to the histories of the Banaban people and the environmental degradation caused by extensive mining. His commitment extends to advocating for human rights, climate justice, and the well-being of his communities. Rae is currently the project coordinator for the Banaban Human Rights Defenders Network and is currently researching on the Pacific status of migrants in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Inagaro Vakaafi, Pacific Climate Warriors Council Elder
Inangaro Vakaafi is the Polynesian Council Elder and founding member for the Pacific Climate Warriors. An experienced producer and journalist in Niue, she is now based in Wellington, New Zealand where she is the Pacific representative of the 350 Aotearoa board, and actively campaigns for climate justice. A strong youth advocate, Ina has served as the President of the Niue Youth Council, a Board Member for the Niue Island Organic Farmers Association and Vice President for the Pacific Youth Council.
Contact details:
For media requests please contact Rebecca Gredley on 0484 008 095 or rebecca.gredley@climatemediacentre.org.au
For media requests for Tim Flannery, Sala Dr George Carter and Dr Wes Morgan please contact George Hyde on 0431 330 919 or george.hyde@climatecouncil.org.au
