Page 21 - Islands Business February 2023

Pacific Islands Forum Pacific Islands Forum

Baron Waqa and his wife, Luisa. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Fiji’s Home Affairs Minister, Pio Tikoduadua at the Blackrock Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at the Forum.
camp.

Meanwhile, the leaders tasked the Forum Secretariat to and our good wishes for the people of New Zealand, that our
hold further discussions to better understand the challenges boys will make a difference as they have done in the other
and opportunities of the seasonal labour mobility schemes in areas where we have partnered with our vuvale friends, in the
Australia and New Zealand, noting Samoa’s current review of Australian bushfires and in the floods and also through RAMSI
the arrangements. in the Pacific…We want to do our part. Yes we are small but I
The Leaders also noted and supported Vanuatu’s Draft Reso- think we are just providing the best we can to help.”
lution to the UNGA seeking an advisory opinion of the Interna-
tional Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect editor@islandsbusiness.com
of climate change, and the call for all Forum members to
cosponsor the resolution by March 1.
A tangible demonstration of Pacific cooperation travelled
a little under the radar on the sidelines of the Forum, but it
was a timely reminder of regionalism in action. When New
Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, returned to
her country on Saturday afternoon, she had a few extra pas-
sengers on her plane.
Ten Fiji defence force personnel, four National Fire Au-
thority crew, and four National Disaster Management Office
officials joined the flight to assist in the Cyclone Gabrielle
recovery efforts.
Speaking earlier from the Australian-funded Blackrock
Camp in Nadi, where the Fiji soldiers were readying for their
deployment, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong noted
that Fiji had shown leadership through its peacekeeping and
humanitarian work.
“The work that can be supported out of here is demon-
strated by the deployment that you saw,” Wong said. “Those
personnel are deploying to Auckland and will be supporting
our Kiwi friends, our New Zealand friends, at this very dif-
ficult time.”
Fiji’s Home Affairs Minister, Pio Tikoduadua, who met Wong
at Blackrock added, “They travel with all our good wishes, Soldiers at Blackrock camp, Nadi

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