Page 20 - Islands Business February 2023

Pacific Islands Forum Pacific Islands Forum

Cook Islands Prime Minister, Mark Brown (L) and PIF Secretary General, Henry Puna. Baron Waqa and his wife, Luisa.

clear path to operationalising the Suva Agreement, “We now Pacific island leaders have also reaffirmed their support for
have everything that we need to move ahead with clarity and Australia’s bid to host the COP31 climate summit.
we will do so…expeditiously.” Brown said Australia had made a very strong commitment
towards climate action.
Back to business “Their bid for the COP31 meeting is fully supported by the
Resolution of membership questions means that the leaders, Forum members. And we’re looking at this particular COP
ministers and officials should be able to focus on their work meeting as a COP meeting for the Pacific, as a joint COP for
program, including the implementation of the 2050 Strategy Australian and the Pacific as well. The statements provided by
for the Blue Pacific Continent, without distraction. Australian Prime Minister, the foreign minister in terms of Aus-
“If we are serious about our 2050 Strategy, we will find tralia’s commitment towards addressing carbon emissions and
every possible way of being together, staying together and assistance, and building resilience and contributions towards
working together as one region. That is the most important helping countries like us in the Pacific at risk of the impacts of
priority for us,” said Puna. climate change, are to be commended.”
At their retreat, leaders discussed some other critical Secretary General Puna says Australia has also agreed to
matters. They noted and supported Solomon Islands, Tuvalu hold a pre-COP meeting to agree how the hosting will take
and Kiribati’s requests to defer their graduation from Least place.
Developed Country (LDC) status for a further three years, The discharge of treated nuclear wastewater from the
and have agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan was also discussed.
permanent Pacific Islands Forum Special Envoy Office in the PM Brown led a delegation to Japan to discuss the matter
United States. recently, and said, “I’m happy that the outcome of those
While the Pacific islands region is often portrayed as a place meetings is for more intense dialogue to take place between
of geopolitical tension, Prime Minister and PIF Chair, Mark scientific experts on the Japanese government side and also
Brown said, “we regard ourselves as a region of peace, and our panel of experts on the Forum side. Further, I’m pleased
the aim of our Forum is unity and prosperity for our coun- that we would request the International Atomic Energy Agency
tries. We don’t see ourselves as an area of contention. All of [IAEA] to be part of those deliberations. So that our panel will
our countries have just come out of COVID with decreased be able to provide us the leaders of the Pacific with an assur-
economic activity, increased debt and so at this stage restor- ance of any actions that will be taken in terms of discharging
ing our economic prosperity is important for us and we will water into the Pacific, that it will be done safely.”
look to all of our development partners that we have to assist The Leaders’ communique also notes support for the
us in what ways they can to ensure that our Pacific countries ‘Weather Ready Pacific’ initiative, noting that “this will
get their economic activities restored and get their levels of enhance the region’s early warning systems and increasing
prosperity back to where they should be.” resilience to climate change.”

20 Islands Business, February 2023