July/August 2017 Delegation from Australia to Kiribati
The PCP is delighted to inform our stakeholders of our latest delegation to Kiribati. The delegation was led by Phil Glendenning, the Director of the Edmund Rice Centre, who was accompanied by:
Dr Simon Bradshaw (Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator Oxfam)
Mrs Ula Majewksi (GROW Campaign Lead at Oxfam Australia)
Mike Bowers (senior Australian Photographer and Journalist)
Dr Usha Harris from Macquarie University; and
Aso Ioapo, Program Officer for Peace and Justice with the Congregational Church of Tuvalu
Download the July/August 2017 report
Download Dr Usha Harris report
KATEP 2017
In 2017, the fourth year of the KATEP program, Mangila Kilifi and Erietera Aram represented Kiribati and Aso Ioapo and Saineta Sioni represented Tuvalu.
The two week educational and advocacy program took place in Sydney, Australia. It provided participants with training in climate change advocacy, leadership skills, storytelling and public speaking; it included a two-day visit to Newcastle; an outreach program to educate and strengthen Pacific connections around climate change and opportunities to lobby key members of the Australian community. It helped develop and solidify the participants’ confidence and experience in being climate change activists and leaders.
Download the 2017 KATEP report
Kiribati-Tuvalu-Australia Exchange Program (KATEP)
The Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP), together with the Kiribati Climate Action Network KiriCAN) and Tuvalu Climate Action Network (TuCAN) launched the Kiribati-Australia-Tuvalu Exchange Program (KATEP) in 2014. In 2016, Uniting World became a program partner in time for the third KATEP program in order to expand the program to include participants from the Pacific Island community in Australia.
KATEP is a training program which develops the climate change advocacy skills of emerging young leaders from Kiribati and Tuvalu. Each year, participants come to Australia from Kiribati and Tuvalu to take part in the program.
On arrival in Australia, KATEP participants first take part in workshops that build their advocacy skills, and then they have the opportunity to put their skills into practice. In 2016, participants lobbied candidates for election in the Federal seats of Reid and Kingsford-Smith.
2016 participants Bailey Koulapi and Kuata Taumaheke (from Tuvalu), Kotei Temakei and Maningare Bwamatang (from Kiribati) and Adi Mariana Waqa and Melaia Turagaiviu (who were both born in Fiji and now live in Sydney). Pictured together with Matt Thistlethwaite, the federal member for Kingsford-Smith and James Macdonald the Greens candidate for the seat of Kingsford-Smith at the 2016 election.
In 2016, for the first time, a delegation from the PCP went to Kiribati to run a training program for a larger audience. The training program went for 3 days, and 26 young people attended.
The program in Australia commenced on 4 June 2016 and concluded on 18 June 2016.
Download the 2016 KATEP report.
KATEP participants have gone on to play an important role at international conferences including the 2015 Paris climate change conference and the 2014 Small Island Developing States Conference in Samoa.
Maina Talia came from Tuvalu to participate in KATEP in 2014, and in 2015 he went on to attend the Paris conference on climate change (COP21). While at the conference, Maina organised a side event called ‘It’s about our very survival’ as well as taking part in many other side events. Maina was also interviewed by many international media organisations.
KATEP participant, Maina Talia, with Tinaii Teaua, KiriCAN delegate to the Paris Conference.
After coming from Kiribati to participate in KATEP in 2014, Apisaloma Tawati went on to attend the Small Island Developing States Conference in Samoa later that year. While at the conference, Apisaloma called on world leaders to defend atoll nations and did a number of interviews. He also wrote an article for Outreach: a multi stakeholder magazine on climate change and sustainable development.
KATEP participant, Apisaloma Tawati, with Maria Tiimon Chi-fang, Pacific Outreach Officer for the Pacific Calling Partnership
After attending the 2016 KATEP, Maningare Bwamatang represented Kiribati at the Asia Pacific Youth Dialogue in Chengdu, China in from September 20th-23rd 2016. The purpose of her trip was to promote mutual understanding between Asian and Pacific cultures, as well as to identify methods to improve youth engagement in sustainable development.
KATEP participant, Maningare Bwamatang, at the 2016 Break Free from Fossil Fuels event in Newcastle, NSW.
You can read previous year's KATEP reports below:
Download the 2014 KATEP Report
Download the 2015 KATEP Report