Samoa: Engaging government leaders and policymakers

As part of the APF's Intergovernmental Mechanisms (IGM) Project, funded by the European Union, the Office of the Ombudsman Samoa convened a High-Level Dialogue and workshop for executives and senior staff of government agencies undertaking work related to the environment and climate change. 

Held in April 2023, the discussions focused on the links between human rights and climate change, promoted the importance of integrating a human rights-based approach in climate-related policy and actions, and helped build a commitment to collaborative work between the NHRI and participating government agencies, as well as Pacific IGMs and civil society organisations.

Background

The human rights impact of climate change has been addressed by the Ombudsman/NHRI of Samoa in its State of Human Rights Reports: 2015, 2017 and 2019. The annual reports highlight the impacts of climate change on the human rights of all people in Samoa, as well as the additional impacts for women, children, persons with disabilities and future generations. The reports also document the human rights impacts of internal migration caused by climate change.

The NHRI has highlighted the importance of strong international advocacy by the Samoan Government and other Pacific Island nations to ensure that developed nations, responsible for the vast majority of carbon emissions, deliver on their commitments to smaller nations that bear the greatest impacts of climate change. 

The NHRI has also stressed the importance of cooperating with the Government and its agencies to defend the human rights of the Samoan people in all climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, including relocation and resettlement efforts.

The High-Level Dialogue and workshop for government executives and policymakers builds on the NHRI’s reports and its ongoing advocacy for a human rights-based approach to address the escalating impacts of climate change on the people of Samoa.

Snapshot: Climate change and Samoa

• Samoa is facing increasing risks from tropical cyclones, storm surges, flooding, heat waves and more severe and longer-lasting droughts.
• Sea levels have been rising in Samoa at a rate of 4mm per year since 1993, well above the global average, contributing to coastal erosion and impacting villages.
• Very hot days and high humidity are increasing the spread of mosquitoes carrying dengue fever.
• Climate change could cost Samoa’s economy as much as 3.8% of annual GDP.

High-level dialogue and workshop

The High-Level Dialogue and workshop – “Advancing a human rights-based approach to climate actions” – were held in Apia, Samoa, from 12-14 April 2023. It was the first event of its kind hosted by the NHRI, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC).

Goals

The High-Level Dialogue and workshop sought to:

• Raise awareness of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, recently adopted by the UN General Assembly
• Examine the link between human rights and climate change in Samoa
• Promote the mainstreaming of human rights in all government climate change policies and actions
• Strengthen collaboration between the NHRI, government, civil society and inter-governmental mechanisms in the Pacific to address the impacts of climate change from a human rights-based approach.

The presentations and discussions drew on the NHRI’s work in this area over many years, as well as materials and resources from the APF blended learning course for NHRIs in the Pacific and South-East Asia.

Preliminary engagement

Preparation and planning were key to delivering an effective High-Level Dialogue and workshop that would deepen discussion and promote collaboration with government on climate actions.

Prior to the events, the NHRI reached out to key partners to build awareness and support for its strategy to engage government executives and policymakers. This included bilateral meetings with the:

• Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Chief Executive Officer; Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Climate Change Division; Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Services)
• Pacific Climate Change Centre (Manager and senior staff).

The meetings were positively received and both organisations agreed to support implementation of the activity. This included a commitment from the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment to provide a keynote address at the High-Level Dialogue. The Pacific Climate Change Centre offered logistical support by hosting the High-Level Dialogue and workshop at its venue and providing refreshments.

The meeting was timely for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which was in the process of developing a climate change bill, as well as reviewing its gender climate change policy. The meeting also helped strengthen links with the NHRI, which can offer human rights expertise and advice in the development of these policies.

In addition, the NHRI held in-person and Zoom meetings with organisations and individuals to invite them to provide technical support and human perspectives on the impact of climate change in Samoa. This included meetings with

• Samoa Red Cross (Executive Secretary)
• Fiji Council of Social Services (Executive Manager)
• Youth representative of the Ombudsman/NHRI of Samoa Advisory Group.
• Ministry of Finance (Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Climate Resilience, Investment and Coordination Division)

Other organisations and individuals could not meet due to pressing work commitments but expressed great interest via email to accept the invitation to provide technical support. They included:

• UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, Dr Ian Fry
• Nuanua o le Alofa (Disability Organization) (General Manager)
• Samoa Faafafine Association (SOGIE community) (Vice President)
• Le Siosiomaga Society (President)
• Samoa Conservation Society (President)
• Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (Chief Executive Officer)
• Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (Assistant Executive Officer)
• Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Principal Officer) 

These meetings helped build awareness about the purpose of the High-Level Dialogue and workshop, and how the organisations and individuals could enrich the discussions by sharing their knowledge and perspectives. There was strong support from participating organisations to contribute to the event and be a voice for the communities and organisations they represent.

Participants

The High-Level Dialogue, held on 12 April, involved 39 Chief Executive Officers or Acting Chief Executive Officers from different government ministries and agencies (27 female, 11 male, 1 Faafafine; 3 persons with disabilities).

The workshop, held on 13-14 April, was attended by 31 principal and senior staff from government ministries and agencies (21 female, 7 male, 2 Faafafine; 1 person with disabilities). 

Representatives of local and regional civil society organisations, youth organisations and IGMs attended different sessions of the three-day program.

Outcomes

A strong commitment to mainstreaming human rights in national and regional responses to climate change was expressed by government leaders and IGM representatives at the opening of the High-Level Dialogue and workshop. 

The High-Level Dialogue and workshop featured collaborative and constructive discussions. There was enthusiasm among participants to better understand the issues, identify constructive approaches they could take within their respective spheres, and to collaborate for greater impact.

Participants expressed appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate with representatives from different sectors – government, civil society and IGMs – and discuss climate change from a human rights perspective, including presentations from youth representatives on the impacts for children and the gaps they face accessing information about climate change in the school curriculum.

The discussions included honest reflections from government representatives, who shared how they had learned from previous experiences of failing to properly include people with disabilities when planning projects. Government representatives also described the challenges they face to implement projects with limited funding and resources.

There was an appreciation of the link between human rights and climate change and the importance of ensuring human rights considerations are at the centre of climate change planning and actions. This message was reinforced during a special online presentation by Dr Ian Fry, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change.

Participants also demonstrated a commitment to understand the human rights-based approach and how this could be applied in the context of responding to the impacts of climate change, including:

• Development of a climate change bill, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
• Development of sector climate change policies, led by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture
• Review of gender policies and framework by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

A key outcome of the High-Level Dialogue and workshop was the commitment among participants to collaborate and share insights and expertise in planning and implementing climate change action. This was reflected in the Outcome Statement adopted at the conclusion of proceedings and the Guide for government on applying a human rights-based approach to climate change actions.

Outputs

The following resources were produced as part of the High-Level Dialogue and workshop:

• Participant resource booklet, which described the role of the NHRI, the relevant UN resolutions and mechanisms, and the importance of applying a human rights-based approach in all climate change actions
• Guide for government on the key principles to apply in a human rights-based approach to climate change actions
• Outcome Statement, which recommended that the government mainstream and implement a human rights-based approach in all climate change actions.

Communication and engagement

Communication about the High Level Dialogue and workshop was undertaken directly with participants through bilateral meetings and email communication. This provided for direct communication with stakeholders and the ability to respond directly to questions.

Public information about the High Level Dialogue and workshop was provided through posts of the NHRI’s Facebook page. This included posts in the lead up to the event and video-based and photo-based posts on each day of the discussions. These posts received high levels of engagement and were shared by partner organisations and other stakeholders.

The NHRI also issued a press statement about the High-Level Dialogue and workshop, which received local media coverage. The Government of Samoa also issued a separate press statement.

Information and resources from the High-Level Dialogue and workshop, including the Outcome Statement, were published on the NHRI’s website, once approved by participants.

Lessons learned

What worked well?

• Design of the NHRI-IGM Project, which equipped NHRI staff with the knowledge and skills to engage in dialogue with IGMs and government and civil society stakeholders, develop resources on human rights and climate change, and identify opportunities for collaboration 
• Relationships with civil society, which ensured the experiences of communities vulnerable to climate change could be shared directly with government
• Relationships with IGMs, including SPREP and PCCC, who provided technical and logistic support to ensure the delivery of a successful event
• Opportunities for networking through connections of the APF, SPREP and SPC, including with the Fiji Council of Social Services, who shared insights on the experience of relocating ‘at risk’ communities in Fiji.

What could be done differently?

• Crowded presentation agenda, which could have been reduced to ensure sessions finished on time
• Shared facilitation, to manage the workload and ensure a diversity of voices across the High-Level Dialogue and workshop
• Competing meetings, scheduled by other organisations, which meant some Chief Executive Officers were no longer able to attend High-Level Dialogue.

Ongoing engagement

Planning and delivering the High-Level Dialogue and workshop provided the NHRI with an opportunity to deepen its relationships with key Pacific intergovernmental mechanisms working on climate change and the right to a healthy environment, most notably SPREP and PCCC. 

This activity – the first of its kind for the NHRI – will lead to other cooperative activities in Samoa, as evidenced by the NHRI being invited to open a training workshop convened by SPREP on human rights and climate change, with a focus on the rights of women and girls.

The High-Level Dialogue and workshop also allowed the NHRI to deepen its relationships with different Ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among its many roles, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides input into policy development for the Pacific Islands Forum. 

As such, strengthening its relationship with the Ministry will allow the NHRI to contribute a human rights perspective on climate change that can be incorporated into Samoa’s submissions to regional policy making and to international discussions and negotiations.