Voyage of Resilience: WAM's Sustainable Maritime Solutions in the Pacific

The side event at COP 28 by WAM, GIZ, and NEO highlights its contributions to reducing CO2 emissions or maritime transport, empowering communities through canoe-building training, and showcasing indigenous knowledge in climate adaptation while fostering sustainability and resilience in the Pacific region. The side event will spotlight WAM's vital role in reducing CO2 emissions in the RMI's maritime sector. It will emphasize how WAM, along with partners such as NEO and GIZ, empowers communities through traditional and contemporary canoe-building training, showcasing its effectiveness in fostering sustainability and self-reliance. This aligns with COP 28's climate action ambitions by demonstrating low-carbon propulsion technologies (wind propulsion,

electric engines). The event will give voice to Pacific communities, celebrating their unique cultures and traditions, especially canoe building. This highlights the integration of indigenous knowledge in climate adaptation while showcasing community resilience. The side event contributes to community resilience by

showcasing initiatives for constructing and building capacity in sailing canoes for passenger and cargo transport (e.g., copra). This reduces GHG emissions and

provides an eco-friendly alternative to motorized boats, aiding climate change adaptation amid rising sea levels and extreme weather. Addressing loss and damage, the event sheds light on climate change's real-world consequences, with a focus on the Marshall Islands and the wider Pacific region.

WAM's role in mitigating these impacts through sustainable transport solutions will be a central theme. Overall, this event serves as a catalyst for knowledge

exchange, collaboration, and global awareness, aligning with COP 28's goals of advancing a low-carbon and climate-resilient world.

Presented by: Alson Kelen - Executive Director of Waan Aelon in Majel, INC, Chairman for Marshall Islands Council of NGOs and Chairman for Marshall Islands Nuclear

Commission of the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and Angeline Heine-Reimers - Executive Director for National Energy Office of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Sandra Schuster - Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) - Low Carbon Sea Transport representative