FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29th 2020

Micronesian conservation finance entity becomes new host of Global Island Partnership to help achieve global and local conservation and sustainability goals.

The Micronesia Conservation Trust, based in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia has been announced as the new fiscal host of the Global Island Partnership - a global partnership working to connect island leaders on conservation, sustainable livelihoods and sustainability. Islands are on the frontline of climate change and are serving as laboratories for innovation and leading on developing solutions that can be scaled globally.

We’ve now grown to 44 members, 49 friends, 8 Advisors, and 2 Supporters!

We would like to welcome our newest members: ARUBA & POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY!

Want to see our GLISPA Community on the world map? Check our INTERACTIVE GLISPA MEMBERSHIP MAP here.

For more information on our member's goals and priorities, visit http://glispa.org/participate/members.

We are already nearly half way through 2019. Coming up in July, our Partnership’s Annual Members Teleconference will take place on Thursday, July 25th 2019. This GLISPA conference call is an opportunity for GLISPA Members to contribute to the development of GLISPA’s 2019-2020 Strategy and upcoming activities. An invitation to this call will be sent out shortly.

Washington D.C., 29th March 2019 — GLISPA Exec Director, Kate Brown along with Celeste Connors from Hawaii Green Growth (GLISPA Member) attended the event “Disaster Strikes Again: Agriculture Resiliency in the Face of Climate Shocks” as part of the panel discussion which followed the presentation by the Swiss Re Practicum.

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2019 — The Global Island Partnership, led by island leaders from Palau, Seychelles, Grenada, Marshall Islands and British Virgin Islands congratulates the Atlantic Council on launching the new Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center in Washington D.C.

Washington D.C., 3rd May 2019 — GLISPA Exec Director Kate Brown participated in the one-day climate change symposium “Changing by Degrees: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Climate Change” which was organised by the Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs in cooperation with the National Academy of Science.

DALLAS, U.S. — From 26th to 28th April, EarthX2019 gave a platform for 175,000 attendees. This year’s focus was on the much needed ocean and on this occasion GLISPA launched the Island Resilience Forum (IRF) on 27th April 2019.

Happy 5th birthday Aloha+ Challenge!

GLISPA Member Hawaii Green Growth celebrates the five-year anniversary of Hawai‘i’s Aloha+ Challenge: HE NOHONA 'AE'OIA, which led to recognition by the United Nations of Hawai‘i Green Growth together with the Global Island Partnership as one of the first island-focused Local2030 Hubs helping to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

BONN, Germany — Organized by the United Nations SDG Action Campaign with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office and partners, the SDG Global Festival of Action took place from 2nd to 4th May 2019.

“The Festival’s overall aim is to gather and inspire SDGs campaigners and multi-stakeholder partners to scale up and broaden the global movement to take action for the SDGs,” the website states.

SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt — In November 2018, the GLOBAL ISLAND PARTNERSHIP (GLISPA) participated at the biennial Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 14).

GLISPA is part of Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) decision from 2008 (Island Biodiversity Decision COP IX) as a mechanism to implement the Convention’s Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity.

We’ve now grown to 42 members, 47 friends, 8 Advisors, and 2 Supporters!

We would like to welcome our newest members in 2019: Island Conservation, Earth Advertising, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) - Pacific Islands, Ocean Conservancy.

BALI, Indonesia — On Tuesday, 30th October 2018 GLISPA co-hosted the High Level Reception OUR OCEAN OF HOPE in the margins of the Indonesian Government’s hosting of Our Ocean Conference 2018. Thanks to President Remengesau of Palau, Vice President Meriton of Seychelles and President Germain of New Caledonia for hosting the event on behalf of GLISPA along with Waitt Foundation, Waitt Institute, Oceans 5 and Rare along with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Commonwealth Secretariat, UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific.

[view event gallery photos]

Welcome to 2019 and best wishes for the New Year! Please find our bi-monthly GLISPA highlights.

GLISPA IN 2019
We were planning to have GLISPA’s Council meeting at the end of March in Mallorca. We appreciate that not everyone will be able to attend and for this reason (among others) we have decided to change plan and move this to a virtual Council meeting via video conference early this year while at the same having a GLISPA meeting for those that can attend in person in Mallorca. If you are a member of GLISPA please be on the look-out for your materials and invitation to the Council meeting.

The Mountain Partnership and GLISPA are strengthening their engagement on mountains and islands through a newly formed fragile ecosystem coalition.

The Global Island Partnership has announced Grammenos Mastrojeni of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will join Ambassador Hersey Kyota of Palau as a Co-Chair of the Partnership’s Board. 

Ambassador Kyota was pleased to announce that, “the GLISPA Board heartily welcomes Grammenos into this new role. Grammenos is a passionate champion of island priorities and the Partnership and will be a great asset to moving forward our shared goals and priorities toward 2020.”

With 36 members and 45 friends GLISPA is continuing to grow. We would like to welcome our new members in 2018: Tofia Niue - Niue Ocean Wide (NOW), New Caledonia, Bahamas National Trust, Smithsonian Institution, Center of Excellence for the Sustainable Development of SIDS and Green Cross France & Territories.

Our new friends in 2018 include: Small Islands Organisation (SMILO), MigraMar, FSM Development Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania, Reef Life Foundation, St Lucia National Conservation Fund, Bahamas Protected Areas Fund, Global Ocean Trust, and International Small Island Studies Association.

Welcome to all!

Fore more information on our member's goals and priorities, visit http://glispa.org/participate/members

 

The Republic of Palau launches an innovative public-private partnership to bring renewable energy and resilient infrastructure to island and coastal communities.

The Republic of Palau, EarthX, GridMarket, and the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) are proud to announce that they have formed a new partnership during the United Nations’ High-Level Political Forum to help island and coastal communities achieve their renewable energy and resilient infrastructure goals. The “Island Resilience Partnership” is addressing the biggest challenge in the fight against climate change: time.

At first glance, you might think that the cool climate islands of Tasmania and the tropical archipelago of Hawaii are radically different. As with many islands, there is more in common between these two island states that are part of large developed economies than first meets the eye.

President Remengesau of Palau (supported by his team from the Palau Mission in NY and in Palau) represented GLISPA at a number of important events at the 2018 High Level Political Forum to champion island resilience priorities. President Remengesau was the lead speaker at a high-level dinner hosted by the Secretariat for the Convention on Biodiversity, UNDP and UN Environment. He conveyed the island worldview that “we need to remember that we are all living on an island, Island Earth… We need to help the global community be islanders again.” President Remengesau's speech can be read here.

Local and Global Partnerships for Island Earth - Hawai'i Green Growth, the Polynesian Voyaging Society and Global Island Partnership signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 13th in Keauhou, Hawaii to highlight island leadership and share sustainability solutions during the culmination of the Mahalo, Hawai’i Sail and future voyages. This partnership seeks to uplift place-based models and support next generation leadership pathways, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Hawai‘i’s Aloha+ Challenge as a shared platform for action, communication, and global impact.

“The voyage to a resilient and sustainable future is not one that is taken alone, but by a movement of cities, states, islands and countries working together to shape the future we want.” H.E. Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., President of Palau

With the leadership of H.E. Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., President of Palau, H.E. Vincent Meriton, Vice-President of Seychelles, The Hon. Kedrick Pickering, Deputy Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Ambassador Spencer Thomas of Grenada, alongside Global Island Partnership members and friends, the Partnership coordinated a series of events that demonstrated the leadership of islands united in strong partnerships to implement Sustainable Development Goal 14 and support strong outcomes for the UN Oceans Conference held in New York at the United Nations.

The Global Island Partnership is featured in the Partnerships For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 2016 Report prepared by the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS in collaboration with UNDESA on pages 17 to 20.

The Report was launched during the first annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue held during the 71st session of the General Assembly at a High-level Breakfast Event and highlights a select number of partnerships that are supporting implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and are reporting progress through the the SIDS Partnership Framework (http://www.sids2014.org/).

The President of Palau, H.E. Tommy Remengesau Jr. and Governor of Hawaii, The Hon. David Ige, have taken steps to promote action in building resilient and sustainable island communities, locally and globally with a series of announcements last night in Hawaii.

Hurricanes Madeline and Lester remind us that islands are on the frontline of climate change. They are increasingly threatened from more severe weather alongside resource depletion, urban growth, health threats and food pressures.

From H.E. Hersey Kyota, Chair of the GLISPA Steering Committee and Palau's Ambassador to the United States

Dear colleagues,

Please join me in welcoming the County of Hawai’i as one of the Global Island Partnership’s newest members. We are pleased to have the County of Hawai’i join our Partnership as an island dedicated to championing a culture of sustainability at the local level in Hawaii through the Aloha+ Challenge. 

The President of Palau welcomes the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage to United Nations Headquarters, New York City

On World Oceans Day (8 June 2016), Hōkūle‘a arrived at the United Nations in New York City to draw attention to how the oceans unite us as one island Earth and to share first-hand stories of the state of the ocean shared by these courageous voyages.

H.E. Tommy E. Remenegsau Jr., President of Palau, addressed the United Nations to celebrate the inspirational journey of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage in creating a more sustainable planet and discuss how the international ocean agenda intersects with the work individual governments, and in particular, island nations, are doing to conserve their territorial waters.

From H.E. Hersey Kyota, Chair of the GLISPA Steering Committee and Palau's Ambassador to the United States

Seychelles has successfully concluded the financial part of a debt buyback deal announced at UNFCCC COP21 Paris allowing Seychelles to go ahead with its plans for marine conservation and climate change adaptation works, the finance minister The Hon. Jean Paul Adam announced on Tuesday.

The debt for adaptation swap was supported by The Nature Conservancy through GLISPA. As a priority of the GLISPA 2030 Strategy, the partnership will focus on expansion of the debt for adaptation swap to targeted indebted Small Island Developing States. The debt for adaptation swaps presents an opportunity to use instant payday loan, an innovative mechanism to finance implementation of marine spatial plans and increase the resilience of island nations most susceptible to the impacts of climate change through improved management of coasts, coral reefs, and mangroves.

See article from Seychelles New Agency

 

GLISPA's Co-Chair, the President of Palau, H.E. Tommy Remengesau Jr. was awarded as Champion of the Earth for policy leadership from the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, launching the first shark sanctuary, Micronesia Challenge, action on trawling to global leadership in GLISPA alongside the President of Seychelles. Read the press release below from IISD Sustainable Development Policy & Practice for more details.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced the recipients of the UN's highest environmental honor, the ‘Champions of the Earth Award,' which recognizes innovators and policymakers for service to the environment, saving lives, improving livelihoods and bettering environmental governance and conservation.

Island countries and countries with islands have made bold commitments to build resilient and sustainable island communities through innovative partnerships during a high level event in Apia, Samoa.