Human rights, environment protection key to sovereignty and security, leaders told

Military leaders have been told they bear the profound responsibility of protecting the sovereignty of a nation, and they should ensure the region is a “zone of peace” despite increasing geopolitical tensions.

Addressing the United States-Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Fiji last week, US top aid official Samantha Power said speaking clearly about the security risks caused by inaction related to climate change was also an important role for military leaders.

She said the Fijian government had identified 600 communities that may be forced to move due to the impacts of rising sea levels.

She said 42 of these communities were already at “urgent risk” of having their homes destroyed.

“Relocating these communities is going to require enormous development work – to get clean water and electricity to new places, to rebuild homes and schools and hospitals, and to preserve the traditions tied profoundly to the homes where they developed over millennia,” Power said.

“While we’ve seen some important regional leadership and co-operation here, we have also recently seen climate conversations with key countries stall.

“Military leaders have an essential role to play in speaking clearly about the security risks caused by inaction, and pushing for the enormous investment and co-operation we’ll need to take on this challenge – both with partner countries and within our own nations.”

Representatives from 27 nations attended the conference, which was co-hosted by Fiji’s military commander Major-General Jone Kalouniwai and his US Indo-Pacific counterpart Admiral John C. Aquilino.

The theme of the summit was “Preserving the Rules-Based Order to Enable Sovereignty in an Era of Strategic Competition”.

Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) military committee, met with allied, partner and non-partner chiefs of defence including New Zealand’s Air Marshal Kevin Short in Nadi.

Discussions with Bauer included ongoing efforts and responses to global challenges such as threats to the rules-based international order, cyber and information-related risks, as well as natural disasters and the climate crisis.

Bauer said developments in the Indo-Pacific region could “directly affect Euro-Atlantic security”.

“Nato and its partners share a common goal of working together to address cross-cutting security issues and global challenges as well as protecting and strengthening the Rules-Based International Order, including freedom of navigation.”

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said strategic competition could coexist with mutual respect.

Tensions have soared between the US and China over Taiwan and Beijing’s influence in the Pacific including security agreements with the Solomon Islands, which have Washington and its allies, including New Zealand, concerned.

Rabuka said the pursuit of sovereignty and security “should be in tandem with the promotion of human rights, exclusivity, and sustainable development”.

While maintaining sovereignty in the region and protecting their nations, he said governments must not forget the responsibility to protect people and the planet.

“Human security and environmental stewardship are integral to a prosperous and resilient future for all of us,” Rabuka told the conference.

“We must seize this opportunity to adapt to modernisation and forge new partnerships. Together we can create a stronger network of nations committed to upholding the principles that have steered us through tumultuous times.

“Our decisions will shape the course of history and our commitment to collaboration and adherence to international law will determine the fate of peace and prosperity for billions of people worldwide,” Rabuka said.

Power, administrator of the US International Agency for International Development (USAID), said Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin often spoke about the severity of the security threat posed by climate change and the need for urgent action, “reminding us that no nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis.

“His and other defence leaders’ advocacy has been essential in persuading the public to take the threat seriously, and helped lay the groundwork for the Biden Administration last year to pass the United States’ largest ever piece of climate legislation, a $369 billion investment in building a clean energy economy.”