Introduction
Anote Tong, the former president of Kiribati, is a global leader in addressing the impacts of climate change. For over two decades, President Tong has been at the forefront of the global fight against climate change, raising international awareness about the plight of vulnerable island nations and championing the cause of climate refugees.
In 2015, he received the Sunhak Peace Prize for his dedication and passionate leadership in addressing the impacts of climate change in island nations.
In an exclusive interview conducted in Seoul, South Korea, we had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with President Tong, delving into his motivations, notable achievements, and his vision for a sustainable future.
Here is Part 2 of the interview.
Interview with Anote Tong, 2015 Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate
May 4th, 2023
Jamsil Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Korea
Q1: Was there a moment of inspiration, the first moment where you decided that this is something that you’re going to attribute yourself to?
It came very early in my presidency in 2003 when I came into office. I was thinking of going to the United Nations general assembly in November. I didn’t go in 2003 but I read the reports of the IPCC. When I saw the words that sea level was rising in the reports, I panicked because it set off alarm bells. Knowing how vulnerable we are, if there is any rise in sea level, it’s going to be really catastrophic for our people.
In my first address at the United Nations in 2004, I raised the issue in my statement, and I came away somewhat worried because nobody else was talking about it. I was wondering, did I make a fool of myself? But gladly the following year, other Pacific Island leaders started putting it into their statements at the UN general assembly and of course, the momentum began to build up over the years.
Now, we have quite significant climate action but decrease in emissions is still not happening. We’re not cutting back enough in order to avoid what is coming.
Q2: The vision of the Sunhak Peace Prize is to create a world of peace. What does peace mean to you and why is it important?
We thought we had peace. We have a wonderful life in our home, we live on a day to day basis, we don’t worry about how the stock exchange is doing. We don’t worry about wars on the other side of the world.
But now, as information becomes more readily available, we begin to worry. Peace for me personally is about mutual respect. Understanding each other and respecting each other. If there is not that, if somebody doesn’t respect you and he’s rude to you, you cannot have peace because you feel a little threatened. But if you can be assured that there is always this mutual respect, mutual understanding and compassion, generosity and kindness, I think peace is there regardless of the challenges. I think it’s about being together, sharing the challenges and maybe sometimes, sharing the victories and the good things that happen in life.
Q3: Do you have any advice for young people who want to pursue this field related to climate change?
I can just simply share my own experience as a young man. I never imagined what I would do in later life and I had dreams of wanting to be many things. One of them, I thought, maybe I will become a priest. But that didn’t happen.
What I want to share with young people is just follow your instincts and always believe that each and everyone has a destiny. I never imagined that I would become a politician becuase I used to regard politicians as being stupid. But I ended up being a politician. I never imagined that I would be a leader but I became a leader. I never imagined that I would be involved with this campaign but I am doing it. Follow that dream but also follow your instincts. And above all, your destiny because each and everyone has a destiny.
Q4: Do you have any advice for individuals who want to make a positive contribution to promoting peace in their own communities at a smaller scale?
We’re guided by laws, we’re guided by the rules. If we do not respect those rules, there would be no order. Respect, I believe, is important. In our own traditional societies in our homes, we have an order and we respect our parents. If we do not do that, then there’ll be chaos in the family, chaos in the nation, chaos in the world. So it’s about respect.
Understanding. I understand that we all come from different cultural backgrounds, but it is important to understand each other. There are things that you think are normal but it’s highly offensive to others. Recognize that and maybe you resist from doing it. It’s about recognizing what others believe, respecting that and at the same time, if we all do this to each other, the tensions would be less and so maybe there would be less conflicts.
It’s about respecting each other and it’s about having the compassion to not to leave anybody behind.
Q5: If you could go back to when you were in your 20s, would you make any other choices in life?
I wanted to do many things. I was passionate about things. When I was studying away from my home island, I was attracted by what I saw in a developed society. I had visions that maybe this is the kind of world that I want to stay in. But upon going back, I realized that “No, it was never what I wanted.” What I wanted was realizing that I was one of the very few educated people with a degree. I realized that maybe that was part of my destiny. I had to do things for my people because I was educated and I can make a difference and that is what I’ve been doing ever since.
Q6: Was there a value that really helped you to pull through all these challenges?
I believe that challenges are a good thing because they do make you stronger. If you cannot survive a challenge, I always say that if you cannot deal with something as a leader, then you don’t deserve to be a leader. Because God gave you the gifts, the talents, you have the obligation to develop those talents.
It is also true that God gives different people different talents, different levels of capabilities. It’s about putting it all together. When we put all of us together, then we become complete and we can do much, much better.
But if you are using your talents and your skills and your intellect just for yourself, something is grossly missing. You are missing that mission that God gave you because if you are more capable than the next person, then you have the obligation to help that person.
Interview with Anote Tong – Part 1
https://sunhakpeaceblog.com/interview-with-anote-tone-part-1/
Learn more about Anote Tong, 2015 Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate
Laureates – LAUREATES – Sunhak Peace Prize
