Fijian Prime Minister and incoming President of COP 23, Mr. Frank Bainimarama, launched the logo for this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Bonn in November. Also present at the launch was German State Secretary for the Environment, Mr. Jochen Flasbarth.
The logo that was unveiled today captures the vulnerability of small island developing states to the impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise and increasing storm intensity.
It features an island partially submerged and a huge wave bearing down on it and aims to raise further awareness for the uncertain future that many low-lying islands, and indeed coastal zones world-wide, are facing.
The annual conference will be presided over by Fiji, hosted by the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn and is being made possible with generous financial support from the Government of Germany.
The design of the logo had been the subject of a national competition in Fiji, with prizes for the winner and runners-up. The winning design was by Mrs. Ronna Sekiguchi who runs the Green House Studios design company. There were over 80 entries with the runners up being two scholars from Adi Chakobau School and Nadli Muslim Primary.
In a speech at the award ceremony during which the logo was unveiled, Prime Minister and incoming COP23 President Bainimarama praised the many design entries received.
“This is a very stark and effective message to take to the world. The need for us all to come together to build partnerships for climate action between governments, civil society and the private sector. And work together to improve the climate resilience of vulnerable nations such as Fiji,” he said.
Mr. Bainimarama added that Fiji looked forward to the task it had been entrusted through taking on the COP23 presidency.
One priority for the incoming presidency is preserving the multilateral consensus contained in the Paris Agreement for decisive cuts in carbon emissions. Another is to keep up the momentum for its implementation with a wave of climate action that every global citizen can join. The process to arrive at the COP23 logo clearly fits this goal.
At the event, German State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth said: "I congratulate Fiji for the participative and open process to find the logo. This is the spirit we need in Bonn for COP 23. Participation and inclusiveness of all stakeholders will be key at COP 23 and gives the signal to the world that the implementation of the Paris Agreement is irreversible."