Lessons from Pacific Intersections

After years of enduring oppression in the Pacific, one truth becomes undeniable: when you strip a person of their land, you strip them of their spirit.

On August 15, we hosted a public forum on the intersections between resource extraction, militarism, climate change, and forced displacement in the Pacific. The forum was entitled “Lessons from Pacific Intersections: Climate Action, Migrant Rights, Anti-Imperialism, and the Fight Against Extractive Industries.” This public forum followed an Advocates’ Roundtable held two weeks prior. Both events were capstone projects with students from the International School on Climate Mobilities.

This post was written by Maria San Miguel, and the capstone students who helped put on these events also included Abdul Mufeez Shaheed, Daniela Alba, Luz Adriana Hernandez Orozco, Maya Gibbs, Rauf Aslanov, and Xiaonuo Lian. 

During the forum, the panellists discussed various questions and provided insightful answers, unpacking the importance of collective support for systemic change and the need for better enforcement of international law within domestic contexts. They stressed the importance of ending the long and ongoing legacy of colonisation and the dominance of certain countries like the U.S and France, and emphasised the significance of listening to Indigenous voices and including them in the policy-making process.

A common theme that arose among the different examples across the Pacific was the colonial logic of harm perpetrated being “for the good of mankind,” whether it was the U.S.’s nuclear weapons testing program in the Marshall Islands or the UK, New Zealand, and Australia’s decimation of Banaba for agricultural phosphate mining. Beyond the damage to the land and seas, this logic was also employed to justify the forced relocation of communities. 

The matrix of domination (particularly white supremacy and capitalism) underpin this logic and explain why it worked for some communities and not others. We see this logic in many examples of environmental racism, including in the U.S., where poor and/ or communities of colour are sacrificed as sites for dumping toxic waste or building pipelines resulting in public health crises and environmental degradation. 

The loss of land due to colonisation, environmental destruction, or forced relocation also causes profound spiritual wounds. It disrupts traditional practices, erases histories, and fractures communities. In many cases, the imposition of foreign systems of governance, religion, and economics has led to a disconnection from the land, resulting in a loss of cultural identity and a weakening of the social fabric. Furthermore, environmental degradation—whether from nuclear testing, mining, deforestation, or the impacts of climate change—violates the land and sea itself. In spite of it all, frontline communities continue to organise, resist, and build solidarities across the region.

People-powered movements have been making change in the region for centuries. We can look to the student-led ICJ Advisory Opinion campaign, the winning Nuclear Free Pacific campaign, the regional solidarity against extractive industry in Bougainville, and the decolonial independence movements of the past and present, to name a few. 

Joey Tau from the Pacific Network on Globalisation shared about the call for a moratorium on deep sea mining inviting everyone to sign the petition to protect the future of our oceans. He reminded us of the campaign line from the Marshall Islands Student Association at the University of the South Pacific: “my fish is your fish.” What happens in your part of the world will also impact what happens in my part of the world. 

To be in solidarity also means to stand with groups protecting their self-determination and their lands, oceans, and communities including in Kanaky, West Papua, French-occupied Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and Bougainville. We know that systems of oppression are interconnected, and our panellists identified a number of patterns and trends in different parts of the region. That knowledge is our strength, and our support for one another is critical through crisis. Speaking of the current violence from the French colonial government in Kanaky New Caledonia, Reverend Billy shared, “We are interpreting that the crisis we are going through is part of this transformation. It’s a time to rethink everything, all of those systems that were imposed on us.”

Panellists also encouraged the audience to lend a listening ear and to not be afraid to ask what’s really happening on the frontlines. Desmond Narain Doulatram shared, “We’re eager to answer questions because we want our voices to be heard.” He added, “for us here in the Marshall Islands it’s not a lack of storytellers, but a lack of listeners and a lack of action in the international machinery that prevents people from getting fair reparations.” 

Meet the Panellists

Read more about the panellists below and subscribe to our newsletter to hear about future events. 

Itinterunga Rae Bainteiti is a dedicated environmental and social justice advocate of Banaban and Kiribati origins, raised and educated in Fiji. His work is deeply connected to addressing the environmental degradation caused by extensive mining activities on Banaba Island. Rae has been at the forefront of anti-mining efforts, focusing on the long-term impacts of phosphate mining that led to the forced displacement of the Banaban people in 1945. His efforts aim to highlight the human rights violations resulting from mining activities and advocate for the restoration, reparations and protection of Banaban lands and heritage. In addition to his anti-mining work, Rae is a strong advocate for policy and legislative reforms for indigenous peoples, forced displacement, and climate mobility. He focuses particularly on the unique challenges faced by the Banaban community, who fall between the cracks of two states’ legislations. His advocacy seeks to ensure that the rights and needs of displaced and marginalized communities are recognized and addressed in national and international policies.Rae has consistently worked to raise awareness about the socio-environmental impacts of mining and promote sustainable development.

Desmond Narain Doulatram is a Co-Chair and Instructor in the Social Sciences at the College of the Marshall Islands, where he teaches courses on Contemporary Social Issues in Micronesia, Issues in Pacific Studies, World History, History of the Marshall Islands, Pacific Geography and Sociology. He has a diverse educational background, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with a focus on Pre-Law from Southwestern Adventist University, a Master of Arts in Asia-Pacific Studies from the University of San Francisco, and he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific. Doulatram is also involved in several initiatives outside of academia, including his previous work as a National Board Member for the Marshall Islands Public School System and as a co-founder of two NGOs: Jo-JiKuM, focused on environmentalism, and REACH-MI, which addresses the nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands.

We are connected to the sea through the turtle,

We are connected to the air through the fregate bird,

We are connected to the land through the lezard,

We are connected to the vegetal realm through the red cordyline plant,

Those are my clan totem who relate us to the cosmos,

We belong to the TAKEDJI Clan, the WETEWEA family, from the tribe of Gossanah in Iaai Island in Kanaky, the Land of the Standing Man, well known through its colonial name, New Caledonia. 

We are the ATSAI people, people of the sea… 

That is my cultural identity to whom I belong and I honnor in introducing myself to you, as I carry them with me everywhere I go…. That is why I am using the pronoun “WE” to introduce myself. 

My name is Billy, I am a pastor serving God and its people in the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia. I also teach Biblical Studies and Pastoral Ministry in our Theological School. I work as well with our youth in terms of capacity building and self-determination.I am also working with the Pacific Conference of Churches with their Self-Determination desk and as a translator… Oleti gan hmâ

Nelson is a development practitioner and tribal chief with experience in justice, good governance, policy and economic growth. Trained in law, Nelson is concerned with the sustainable development of the Solomon Islands and self-determination of customary landowning groups and rural communities. His work explores how to leverage education and community organizing to involve more community members in defining development to build more equitable societies while keeping future generations at the forefront of our minds.

Joey is the Co-coordinator of the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG). He is a seasoned Media and Communications Specialist with extensive experience in campaigns, research, policy and communication for development. Currently the Co-Lead for the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), a regional watchdog that envisions a Pacific where peoples’ rights to be self-determining, self-reliant and self-  sufficient are recognized and upheld.