Dear Matafele Peinem

"Dear Matafele Peinem" (/dɪr mɑːtɑːfɛleɪ peɪnɛm/) is a poem by the Marshallese poet Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner. Written in English, the poem is a letter to her then seven month old daughter, Matafele Peinem. The poem is most notable for its having been read aloud by Jetn̄il-Kijiner at the opening ceremony of the 2014 UN Climate Summit, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in September 2014; it received a standing ovation from the gathered delegates which lasted over one minute.

Dear Matafele Peinem

"Dear Matafele Peinem" (/dɪr mɑːtɑːfɛleɪ peɪnɛm/) is a poem by the Marshallese poet Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner. Written in English, the poem is a letter to her then seven month old daughter, Matafele Peinem. The poem is most notable for its having been read aloud by Jetn̄il-Kijiner at the opening ceremony of the 2014 UN Climate Summit, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in September 2014; it received a standing ovation from the gathered delegates which lasted over one minute.