Pacific Island leaders

From Tuvalu in the South Pacific, Foreign Minister Taukelina Finikaso noted that climate is an existential issue for his small island nation, whose highest point is only 15 feet above sea level.

“Sea level rise continues to inundate many of our small island coastlines and inundate our food plantations,” he said. “That is a security issue, an urgent one and an inter-generational one. It is an existential issue for Tuvalu and other Pacific countries and also bigger populated countries in the flood plains, and wilt displace many people.

The call was to successfully implement and meet the objectives of Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“If our collective will to implement the 2030 Agenda is sincere, then it is essential to greatly enhance the means and mechanisms of implementation on a much greater scale than those recommended in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda,” said, Caleb Otto, Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations, referring to another recently adopted plank making up the UN post-2015 framework, this one dealing with development financing.

14 Pacific Island Countries have been locked in six year negotiations with Australia and New Zealand over PACER Plus (Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations). 

The Governor of Oro in Papua New Guinea, Gary Juffa, a strong critic of PACER Plus told PACNEWS in Suva that Pacific Island Parties have been taken for a ride by Australia and New Zealand, as revealed in the leaked negotiating text on ‘development and economic co-operation’ published on the PINA website.

Pacific Leaders engaged in meaningful roundtable discussion with the development partners Friday where they were briefed on decisions made on climate change, the 10 year fisheries roadmap, information and communication technology (ICT), cervical cancer and West Papua.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill of Papua New Guinea told journalists after the meeting that the donors and partners were very engaging in the dialogue.

The Immigration minister was Friday speaking with the country's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, who had just returned from the Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Papua New Guinea, where climate change was a key focus.

Noting that the meeting was running late, Dutton remarked that it was running to “Cape York time”, to which Abbott replied, “We had a bit of that up in Port Moresby.”

Dutton then responded: “Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door,” to which both Dutton and Abbott laughed.

The Forum will concentrate on the theme of climate change in preparation for the World Climate Summit in Paris at the end of November.

Leaders are attending from Nauru, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau and Tuvalu.

Marshall Islands is sending its Foreign Minister.

Thailand's prime minister is not now attending as the Forum's chief guest and the country will instead be represented by the deputy prime minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn.

According to the website's ranking, Kiribati's Head of State and President Anote Tong ranked 23 on the list.

Five other Pacific Island leaders were also featured on the list such as Palau's President Tommy Remengesau - 84th, Marshall Islands' President Christopher Loeak - 132nd, Papua New Guinea's President Peter O'Neill - 157th, Nauru's President Baron Waqa -195th and Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi -198th.