A/HRC/43/53/Add.1 communities, and to ensure that human rights obligations inform, strengthen and accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement.1 8. Fiji has ratified a large number of multilateral environmental agreements, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Fiji was the first country in the world to ratify the Paris Agreement. 9. Fiji is a member of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, whose main purpose is to strengthen the capacity of Pacific island nations to plan and manage their own national environment programmes and to enhance regional cooperation to deal more effectively with transboundary issues, including nature conservation, pollution prevention and climate change. B. Economy and political structure 10. Fiji has a population of approximately 900,000 people, the majority of whom (over 90 per cent) reside on the five main islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Kadavu, Ovalau and Taveuni. Life expectancy in Fiji was 70.4 years in 2017. On the human development index, which integrates measures relating to life expectancy, education and per capita income, the scores of Fiji ranked ninety-second in 2018.2 Although approximately 30 per cent of the population lives in poverty, this is one of the lowest rates in the Pacific.3 11. In 2018, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Fiji was US$ 5.48 billion,4 with recent growth rates averaging 4 per cent annually. The economy is dominated by the services industry, at 69 per cent of GDP, followed by industry at 17 per cent and agriculture at 14 per cent (figures for 2017). The main exports of Fiji are bottled water, sugar, fish and gold, while its main imports are petroleum products, cars and trucks. The number of tourists visiting Fiji has more than doubled since 1995 to more than 800,000 per year, creating economic growth and employment but increasing environmental pressures. 12. Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1970. Since 1987, four coups d’état have taken place in Fiji, the most recent one in 2006. The country was under military rule until September 2014. Democratic elections were held successfully in 2014 and 2018. 13. Fiji is a democratic republic with three levels of government: national, provincial and local. Fiji has a unicameral parliamentary system of government, with a president as head of State and a prime minister as head of the Government. Parliament consists of 51 members elected to serve four-year terms. There are 14 provinces governed by provincial councils (part of the traditional system of governance). Within the 14 provinces, there are 187 districts (tikina) and approximately 1,171 villages (koro). Although the provincial councils do not have a law-making function, they provide an important channel of communication between traditional leaders and the national Government. Locally, there are municipal and rural councils (as well as an island council for Rotuma). The Ministry for Local Government, Housing and Environment oversees the municipal councils, while the National Board of Health oversees rural local authorities. In addition to the western legal 1 2 3 4 4 See www.universal-rights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Fiji_Voluntary-pledges-andcommitments.pdf. United Nations Development Programme, “Fiji: Human Development Indicators” (2018). Available at http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/FJI. World Bank, “Fiji”, Poverty and Equity Brief (April 2018). Available at http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/531821528202548810/Fiji-poverty-and-equity-briefspring-2018. World Bank, “Fiji”. Available at https://data.worldbank.org/country/fiji.