REMARKS: Acting Secretary General, Esala Nayasi, Remarks at Pacific Resilience Week

Salutation:
Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Fiji: Honorable Biman Prasad
UN Resident Coordinator for Fiji – Dirk Wagener
Senior officials from our Member Countries
Representatives from Civil Society Organizations from around the region
Partners
Ladies and Gentlemen

Welcome

Bula and a very warm welcome to your Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

During the Leaders’ annual meeting in Tonga last month, Mother Nature attended the opening with a torrential downpour and an earthquake. It highlighted that while the global debate on funding for loss and damage, a new quantified collective goal, and the urgency of climate action continue to rage on – for us here in the Pacific, climate change is our daily lived reality.

Our Leaders concluded their meeting with a deeper appreciation of the breadth and scope of our resilience needs. Indeed, as the Honorable Prime Minister of Tonga and current Forum Chair highlighted when launching the theme of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum: ‘it is important that we embed the idea of resilience in all of our regional priorities – from climate change adaptation, to economic development and trade, to regional security, to education and health, to environmental protection.’

Already we have achieved much together as a region to remain ahead of our resilience challenges. The recent visits to the region by UN Secretary General and World Bank President provided the opportunity to elevate and showcase our realities and our achievements to the world.  Indeed, the UN Secretary General emphasized that the world has much to learn from the Pacific. I take this opportunity to share the appreciation from your Leaders for your efforts at the regional and national levels.

This week provides an opportunity take stock of our existing efforts and identify what more needs to be done at both the national level and collectively as one Blue Pacific.

Regional Context

At the regional level the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent is our long-term collective vision and commitment to ensure the wellbeing and prosperity of our people underpinned by values that promote accountability and respect for each other and support inclusivity, equity and equality.  More specifically, the 2050 Strategy emphasizes the need to expand the consideration of climate change within our development approach and strategic posture.

Understanding the cross-cutting nature of climate change and the need to be inclusive in our approaches across sectors and stakeholders, our Leaders endorsed the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP) and the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP).

Furthermore, our Leaders have continually emphasized that climate change presents the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the Pacific. In line with this, the Boe Declaration elevates climate change as a stand-alone regional security priority. Further, the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility reiterates our commitment as a region to strengthen collaboration and proactively pursue efforts to prepare for and respond to the destructive impacts of climate related mobility. This week you will spend time discussing and considering how we can implement the Framework.

Colleagues, our Leaders have set strong policy foundations by which we can work together across the region, across sectors and stakeholders and equally important as one with the whole world. As you will learn this week, integrated and multi-discipline approaches are necessary to building sustainable and enduring resilience.

The Global Context

Our discussions this week are most timely. We meet in the wake of the Sendai Framework Mid-term Review, the Global Stocktake, formal hosting of the Santiago Network and the ongoing efforts to operationalize the Fund responding to Loss and Damage. In addition, we are well positioned this week to strengthen our engagement and voices for the upcoming Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and UNFCCC COP 29.

Global apathy and inaction remains a real challenge for decisive and transformative action on climate change. Nonetheless, we must continue to work together as the Blue Pacific to ensure the global mechanisms and support that exist are appropriately targeted and contextualized to our needs. I also encourage our partners to work closely with us and ensure that we are front and center in the approaches and solutions to the issues we face.  

Conclusion

The presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji here today and all of you representing your countries as well as our partners, is testament to our commitment as a region to ensure we make the most of opportunities available to us. It is an opportunity to make sure that what our Leaders have set in place will reap maximum benefits for your country and your people and our Blue Pacific continent.

Vinaka vakalevu and again I warmly welcome you all to your Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.