France to be COP23 spokesman

France has announced that it will be the spokesman for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change meeting (COP23) in Germany in November this year.

Speaking at the 10th conference of Pacific Community (SPC), French Overseas Minister Annick Girardin thanked the Pacific for the support it provided for the successful adoption of the Paris Agreement during COP21.
 
“I want to thank you for the unfailing support that you provided during COP21. It was due to your contributions and commitment that COP21 was so successful.
 
“The high-level dialogue with French President Hollande on the challenges of climate change in November 2014, convened by Dr Colin Tukuitonga, which a number of you attended, proved that your ideas can serve as an example for all.
 
“We promise to be your spokesman at COP 23, chaired by our partners from Fiji, and on 12 December 2017 as suggested by President E. Macron during the G-20 meeting in Hamburg. Two years after the Paris Agreement, new initiatives are needed and the private funding promised during the United Nations conference in December 2015 must be mobilised.
 
“We know how vital this solidarity is for Pacific Island countries and territories. In response to an issue that is so crucial for our planet and the Pacific region, we must demonstrate that mobilisation remains high and that the international community is making progress in implementing the agreement that together we hammered out so vigorously and patiently. In that spirit, we will discuss with SPC an extension of France’s support for a high-level international climate-change expert,” Minister Girardin said.
 
Girardin also said France is deeply interested in the future of Pacific territories and the development of small island states.
 
“I want therefore to reaffirm France’s commitment and unwavering support to the sustainable development of small island states, support that is provided by both the cooperation activities carried out by our Pacific overseas collectivities, which I again acknowledge, by the French Development Agency (AFD), by our cooperation mechanisms, but especially by SPC’s own work.  
 
Resilience to climate change and natural disasters must be our collective priority, along with our young people,” said Girardin

 

Photo: SPC (Conference room- 10th conference of Pacific Community)