Papua New Guinea was amongst other Pacific Island Countries (PICS) who gathered in Suva, Fiji, recently for a high political level meeting.
The event aimed at strengthening partnership and action on climate change.
With Fiji as the incoming President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as the Conference of Parties (COP 23) meeting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all Pacific Island leaders in an overwhelming show of support and solidarity, reaffirmed their solemn obligation and responsibility in ensuring that the necessary global actions are taken to address climate change.
There was an equally overwhelming consensus that global actions to address climate change would necessarily be through collaboration amongst all stakeholders in the region and the wider global community.
Also on the margins of the two-day meeting, there was a call made to leaders of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) by non-PSIDS stakeholders, to embrace climate change as an emerging opportunity for sustainable trade and low carbon development, although it is a challenging issue which is affecting vulnerable communities around the world. Accelerated action on other critical priority areas such as climate finance, REDD+ and development of the Paris Agreement Rulebook were strongly urged by leaders of the PSIDS at the end of the meeting.
PNG was represented by Her Excellency, Ms. Lucy Bogari, High Commissioner to Fiji and Permanent Representative to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as PNG’s special envoy, and supported by senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA).
PNG congratulated the Prime Minister of Fiji, Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, for his role as the incoming COP23 President and leadership in bringing global attention of the world to the plight of the Pacific Islands in addressing climate change.
Those who attended included heads of governments, development partners and other high level stakeholders from civil society, including based organisations and the private sector. The partnership is crucial in harnessing action across the board from those who can collaborate and assist countries move forward with their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
PNG joined other Pacific Island countries in welcoming the forthcoming COP as a Pacific COP, and to capitalise on this opportunity for the region.