PACIFIC Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders will take the region’s priorities to the global stage this week as they gather in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
The leaders will use the high-level week, from September 21 to 28, to advance priorities agreed at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau earlier this month.
PIF Chair and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr will lead the Forum’s engagements, supported by PIF Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa.
Key issues on the Pacific agenda include climate change, sustainable development, ocean governance, development finance and the growing threat of sea-level rise.
The annual PIF Leaders’ Dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres will be held on September 25, providing an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the Pacific regional system and the United Nations.
The Forum will also use its presence in New York to broaden support for the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), aiming to mobilise USD500 million by the end of this year.
The engagement comes ahead of Pre-COP31, to be hosted by Fiji and Tuvalu in October, and COP31 in Türkiye in November.
Waqa said the Pacific needed to move from commitments to implementation and strengthen international partnerships that deliver for Pacific peoples. The Forum said its engagement at UNGA81 would also support efforts to ensure global and regional reforms align with the implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
