Page 31 - IB December 2022

Opinion Opinion

terminated water into the Pacific Ocean. this. Upping its ODA to PICs is perhaps a fait accompli in the
ROK’s commitment is to align its efforts to the priorities of context of its latest effort to restructure existing regional
the 2050 Strategy, especially in the fields of Technology and architecture and processes. ROK will have to be open to the
Connectivity; Climate Change and Disasters; and Resources prospects of some of its incremental ODA for capacity building
and Economic Development. Such alignment will naturally in PICs and even in PIFS to enable it to offer technical as-
give rise to the prospect of multi-annual programmable Of- sistance to PICs in need. Such capacity building and assistance
ficial Development Assistance (ODA). This is preferable to will be essential, especially for Smaller Island States, where
project-based approach ODA due to its predictability and the opportunity costs for the increased demands on the time
transparency. Moreover, ROK’s priorities on climate change placed on officials and politicians to cope with the added
and disasters are critical for PIF especially given PICs’ leader- workload will be high.
ship and advocacy role in the forefront of the global battle on It remains to be seen how long it will take ROK to get closer
climate change. to the leading three grantors to the Pacific, namely: Australia,
Now is an opportunity for PICs, with New Zealand support USA and New Zealand, in that order.
(already committed to Loss & Damage financing), to advocate
for climate financing generally especially for Loss & Damage, editor@islandsbusiness.com
an emerging priority for PICs. And if they can bring Australia
into the fold, there can be justification in PICs’ support for The author is a former Fijian Ambassador and Foreign
Australia to host the next COP jointly with them. Minister and runs his own consultancy company in Suva, Fiji.
ROK’s inspiration to diversify its annual dialogues to include
annual Summits is historically sound and it offers great The opinions expressed in this article are those of the
promise for the future. These future promises, however, come author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this
with obligations. And ROK does not need to be reminded of publication.

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