Pacific Island Forum

Pacific is united despite Micronesia’s disappointment: Aingimea

“To say we’re [Micronesian countries] disappointed is an understatement,” President Aingimea told leaders.

The disappointment is with the total disregard of Micronesia’s request to honour the Gentleman’s Agreement that the position of secretary general be rotated among the three subregions of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. Micronesia has only ever held the SG post once, whereas Melanesia and Polynesia have each held the position three times.

Slow start for Pacific regionalism

The development agenda replacement for the Pacific Plan was endorsed in July last year and featured for the first time at the leaders summit in Papua New Guinea earlier this month.

The ANU's visiting fellow, Tess Newton Cain, says while the leaders succeeded in narrowing their focus to a handful of major issues facing the region, there is still a need for more transparency around processes and more inclusion in the discussions.

Pacific Games Council President welcomes Hiri Declaration

In particular, Lakhan welcomed the Leaders’ commitment to the “Sharing of knowledge, skills, preservation and promotion of our traditional and cultural values and sporting activities” as noted in paragraph 21c of the Hiri Declaration.

Lakhan said, “The Hiri Declaration recognises the excellent work of the region’s Sports Ministers which convened in Port Moresby on the eve of the highly successful 15th Pacific Games this past July in a Pacific Sports Ministers Meeting co-hosted by the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Games Council.  

Forum leaders agree to disagree on climate change

The 46th meeting of Forum leaders ended with an agreement to disagree on the contentious issue of climate change.

Small island states like Kiribati and Palau had called for greater action from the likes of New Zealand and Australia

However both developed countries have made no commitments to reduce emissions further so that global temperatures didn't increase more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

They are sticking with the United Nations promoted limit of two degrees.

President Tong says he accepts their position.

COP our last hope - Kiribati

This week its President Anote Tong told LOOP news the World Climate Change Meeting in Paris at the end of this year would be their last chance to get the world to listen to them.

He had hoped for Australia and New Zealand to make new commitments at the Pacific Island Forum meeting this week but  this did not happen 

 "Whether we accept it or not is a different question," he said.

“Those islands barely 2m above sea level were the ones on the "frontline" dealing with the issues of climate change,” he said.

NZ PM happy with his country's climate change stance

John Key is attending the Forum leaders meeting in Port Moresby.

The meeting was preceded by declarations by Small Islands States, NGOs and Fiji's Pacific Islands Development Forum calling for greater action including no more than a 1.5 degree rise in global temperature above pre-industrial levels.

Developed nations have traditionally looked at two degrees as a more realistic target.

Key says he is happy with the work New Zealand has done to fight climate change.

Climate change threatens Forum solidarity

A senior official attending the small island states leaders’ summit told Islands Business that his country is unhappy about the draft Pacific Island Forum statement on climate change that is already in circulation among Forum delegates.

Yet to be released publicly, the document reportedly supports a 2 degrees temperate rise target, instead of the 1.5 degrees being advocated by small island states who are members of AOSIS, the Alliance of Small Island States 2 degrees is the preferred target of industrialised countries, of which Australia and New Zealand are members of. 

Address climate change loss and damage – SIS leaders

Leaders of Cook Island, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru Palau and Tuvalu meet at the Laguna Hotel in Port Moresby ahead of the Pacific Island Leaders’ Summit this week.

The Niue government was not present as their team  is yet to arrive in Port Moresby.

In a press conference they issued a special declaration on climate change that demanded the world limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and that countries uphold the principle of "polluter pays".

ULMWP welcome Forum focus on West Papua

The ULM's Secretary General Octo Mote says increasing awareness of West Papua has led to a growing groundswell of people's solidarity movements in the Pacific.

Mr Mote says he hopes the forum will act on their plea to address growing human rights abuses in West Papua.

He says he hopes a fact finding mission can be established and has supported the call by Vanuatu for the United Nations to appoint a special envoy to West Papua.