Many Strong Voices
is a collaborative programme with the goal of promoting the well-being, security and sustainability of coastal communities in the Arctic and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the face of climate change, by bringing these regions together to take action on mitigation and adaptation.The MSV programme is made up of a consortium of partners represented by nearly 20 Arctic and SIDS nations.
“Climate change in the Arctic is a human issue, a family issue, a community issue, and an issue of cultural survival. The joining of circumpolar peoples with Pacific Island and Caribbean States is surely part of the answer in addressing these issues. Many small voices can make a loud noise. As we melt, the small developing island states sink.”
Sheila Watt-Cloutier, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
MSV Objectives:
- Collaborate and build capacity in the Arctic and SIDS so that people in these vulnerable regions have a stronger voice.
- Raise awareness about the effects of climate change on vulnerable regions in general and on the Arctic and SIDS specifically.
- Work to understand regional needs and generate practical mitigation and adaptation solutions.
The Arctic and SIDS are barometers of global environmental change and are considered critical testing grounds for the ideas and programmes that will strengthen the adaptive capacities of human societies confronting climate change.
Lessons learned through MSV will support policy development at local, regional and international levels, and will provide decision-makers in the two regions with the knowledge to safeguard and strengthen vulnerable social, economic and natural systems.
In this respect, the Arctic and SIDS are also moral barometers. How the world acts when the barometer is read will say much about the future we envision. MSV partners are working to help shape that future.
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MSV banner images credit: TopFoto/ImageWorks, Lauren Haney, Topham Picturepoint