CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS ADVOCATE AT UN OCEAN CONFERENCE
29th June to 1st July, 2022
"We are the Ocean and the Ocean is us, we have lived and thrived here throughout generations, from before time. If we look after Mother Earth, our common home, she will look after us."
Oceania Talanoa: Faith, Indigenous, and Nature’s Moana Shaping and Safeguarding Innovations of the Sea
Ahead of the UN Ocean Conference to take place in Lisbon this week, Catholic leaders – including Caritas representatives Malialosa Tapueluelu (Caritas Tonga) and Musamba Mubanga (Caritas Internationalis) – will participate in an event aimed at highlighting the role of faith based organisations and communities in advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
Archbishop Peter Chong of the Archdiocese of Suva, Fiji, and President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO), one of the delegates, said:
“Caring for the environment and addressing climate change must go together. We cannot simply advocate against the climate crisis while continuing to damage our common home. Our Holy Father urges political and business leaders to stop thinking of short-term gains and work for the common good. In addition, Catholic Social Teaching instructs that human beings and the care for God’s creation must be at the center of economic development. We will lift up that prophetic advocacy throughout the UN Ocean Conference.”
This event will highlight stories from Oceania and will be a space for sharing the experiences, cultural traditions and knowledge of local communities in sustainably caring for oceans and its unique biodiversity for the growth and development of people in the region now and in the future.
To watch the conference from 6.30pm-8pm:
Livestream in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsXMBNUtZZQ
Livestream in Portugese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkMFncKo03k
The 2022 Ocean Conference is seeking to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean actions. The conference also aims at helping to keep track of efforts on SDG 14 while directing solutions at reversing the decline in the health of the ocean for people, planet and prosperity. The overarching theme of the Conference is “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions”.
Caritas would like to raise concerns and propose actions to support solutions directed at reversing the decline in the health of the ocean.
Caritas concern for the ocean stems from the experience of the poor around the world, especially coastal communities, small island states, and the region of Oceania. Caritas Oceania has shared the stories of communities on the front line of climate change and environmental loss and damage through its annual ‘Caritas State of the Environment for Oceania’ report. Caritas Oceania has documented climate change impacts on Pacific communities, such as more destructive extreme weather events; and sea level rise causing erosion, higher tides, and soil salination. Climate change has forced people such as the Carteret Islanders in Papua New Guinea to move from an atoll-based lifestyle to an agricultural-based economy on mainland Bougainville. This is only one example of forced migration and relocation of Pacific peoples, and disruption of their connection to ancestral lands and places.
Caritas Oceania is concerned about further ocean damage arising from seabed mining, promoted by some as ‘necessary’ for the minerals needed to feed the technology required to harness renewable energy. However, it’s diving into the dark. Communities in some countries who stand to be most affected by seabed mining are not being adequately informed on what’s involved and what the risks are to ocean health and food sources. Coastal fishermen and women are terrified that deep sea mining will destroy livelihoods, marine life, coastal ecosystems and affect the food web. Caritas Oceania’s documentation of destructive iron sand mining around the Ba river mouth in Fiji highlights the potential issues. Turning clear Blue Ocean to a brown black colour, and polluting water and reef, is destroying food sources and livelihoods for local people. There was no proper consultation for the issuing of the mining licence. The experience and uneven benefits already brought about by land-based mining and near coastal seabed mining are a concern for Caritas. Further and as stated in the encyclical Laudato Si “All of this helps us to see that every intervention in nature can have consequences which are not immediately evident, and that certain ways of exploiting resources prove costly in terms of degradation which ultimately reaches the ocean bed itself.” (§ 41)
Messages from the Young people in Tonga
“There is need to first acknowledge that our natural environment is at risk of being damaged in unsustainable ways. As youths, we need to prepare ourselves to feel confident that we can make a change in our lives, in our communities, and in our work for better and safer future of our common home. For this to happen, our world requires courage, honest and responsible actions that ensure all of humanity working together and ensuring that traditional knowledge of local people, elders and indigenous people are being considered, appreciated and respected. The voices of young people should be heard too. Such inclusive participation will inspire the initiative of change that we would want.”
“Creation has given so much for humanity and now is the time for us to act by giving back to nature, protecting and saving it from more harm, and what it means to take this action is being straight and uncomfortable with poor
Caritas’ care for the Ocean draws inspiration and guidance from Catholic Social Teaching
Caritas Tonga supports livelihoods and environmental protection through a range of activities across Tonga’s many islands and affirms marine protection areas (MPAs) have been vital to protect fish and fragile ecosystems. Fishing in an MPA is restricted to registered people and those who hold a permit from the local management committee. There are also designated no-fishing areas, projects to restore fish stocks and habitats, community awareness-raising activities, and other activities to improve living standards in the target communities. An example is Felemea MPA in Tonga’s central Ha’apai group of islands, set up in 2008 due to declining seafood resources. The Felemea MPA of 1,633 hectares with two “no-fishing areas” totaling 150 hectares has made a significant difference to the life of the community. “The elders of Felemea claim that the fish that disappeared for a long time now, are starting to grow in numbers,” says MPA Project Manager Sione Masima.
In terms of taking social responsibility to protect and nurture the oceans, Caritas Kenya, in Mombasa and Malindi dioceses are coordinating with local communities with the responsibility of taking care of the ocean. The two dioceses in the coastal region use all means within their reach to protect, preserve and restore the glory of the coastal line. Youths have been mobilized and involved in cleaning of the coast and teaching the coastal residences and visitors on the need to keep the coastal line clean and protecting the oceanic life. The two dioceses have also engaged fishermen in the region and sensitized them on sustainable ocean actions and the need to use standard fishing nets rather than small holed nets that over fish. The local Caritas’ have also engaged other partners in mangroves to plant trees along the ocean especially the designated areas