PIF

Australia faces Pacific Islands Forum showdown on climate

The Forum is meeting this week in Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby, with leaders hoping to thrash out a shared position to take to the UN Paris climate change conference in December.

Kiribati President Anote Tong Tuesday said the future of his nation was threatened by climate change and raised the prospect of Australia and New Zealand being asked to leave the grouping if they undermined a consensus on taking serious ­action.

Pac NGO's want face to face meetings with Forum Leaders

The pre-forum meetings were held on Tuesday between the past, present and future chairpersons of the forum namely the leaders of the Marshall Islands, Palau and Papua New Guinea.

Pacific NGO spokesperson Ann Singeo says the pre-forum meetings could become an important space for input from civil society organisations in the region ahead of the forum proper.

Civil society organisations promised more engagement at PIF Leaders meeting

For the first time, 25 members of regional civil society organisations held a breakfast discussion with four Pacific Leaders, PM O’Neill, President Tommy Remengsau of Palau, President Christopher Loeak of Marshall Islands and President Peter Christian of the Federated States of Micronesia at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby.

The countries form the Forum Troika.

Pacific Islands Forum will showcase PNG, says Peter O’Neill

The host, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, told The Australian the Port Moresby summit “will showcase PNG’s energy and diversity, and we shall take leadership roles in some issues we are passionate about”.

These would include “climate change — and how the Pacific should position itself in that ­debate” in the run-up to the Paris World Climate Summit, “and about economic integration of the Pacific as a means of supporting the development of the region and mobilising skills”.

SIS Leaders demand 1.5 degree target

The statement, according to Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga of Tuvalu was unanimously supported by all the seven SIS members, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu.

For the first time, SIS Leaders met behind closed doors to deliberate issues that concern the grouping, choosing to release a ‘strong’ statement to reflect their unique and special vulnerabilities.

PM Sopoaga told journalists, Small Island States have been advocating strongly for climate change since the early 1990s.

Proposed Forum Leaders climate change declaration reflects wider membership, PIFS adviser

Briefing journalists in Port Moresby Saturday, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s acting climate change finance adviser, Exley Taloiburi said the draft text will be further tweaked by Senior Officials before the Leaders retreat in Port Moresby on Thursday. Forum member countries were given another opportunity to comment on the proposed political statement before the draft is ready for the Leaders this week.

US sending big team to Pacific Islands Forum

It will be headed by Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Heather Higginbottom, and the State Department says the visit aims to emphasize the depth and breadth of US engagement with the Pacific.

The U.S. delegation will also include senior officials from the United States Pacific Command, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

European Commissioner for Climate Action & Energy to attend PIF

The EU Commissioner will lead the European Union Delegation to the PIF Meeting, including delegates from the European Commission in Brussels and Ambassadors of European Union Delegations across the Pacific region.

The EU is a long standing ally of the Pacific on the climate change issues and the Commissioner Arias Cañete is committed to make this partnership even stronger in the run up to Climate Change negotiations in Paris in December.

He will give a keynote address to the Pacific Leaders at a special Session on Climate Change. 

Deputy Secretary of State to lead U.S delegation to the Pacific Islands Forum

Her visit will emphasize the depth and breadth of American engagement with the Pacific Islands.

The U.S. delegation will also include senior officials from the United States Pacific Command, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

FOC endorse five priority issues for Leader’s Summit in PNG

FOC is the governing body that oversees the work of the Suva-based Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).

“The Committee recognised that this was the first time for it to compose the Leaders agenda by reference to recommendations of the Specialist Sub Committee and that the new process required different considerations and approaches, said the FOC pre-Forum Session report of 12-13 August.

FOC said, ‘It identified the process as an iterative one, and that the process would be further clarified in light of lessons learned.”