Pacific leaders have issued a declaration saying they should retain their existing maritime territories as rising sea levels drown their islands.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, speaking to reporters after a Pacific Island Forum held over Zoom on Friday, said the statement from the forums 18 member countries would take the declaration to the United Nations.
We endorsed a declaration on maritime zones that will protect those areas that are key … for different Pacific islands against sea level rises. Some of our Pacific Island neighbours, if sea level rises continue, will lose their territory.
The declaration cam at the forums 51st meeting, and at a particularly strained time for the region.
PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM/Supplied
The Pacific Island Forum held its 51st meeting on Friday, over a Zoom video conference.
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Climate change poses an immediate existential threat, geopolitical tensions have heightened as world powers renew their interest in the region, and New Zealand officials fear the Covid-19 pandemic will erase several years of economic progress and leave a growing pool of marginalised youth across the region.
Despite the forum finding consensus on a 2019 communiqué calling on the international community to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, a recent rift between member countries has threatened regional stability.
In February, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia said they would withdraw from the forum, frustrated that former Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna was appointed to the forum’s secrtary general position. They said it was the Micronesian sub-region’s turn for their candidate, Gerald Zackios, to hold the position.
Ardern said the issue had not been resolved, but there had been progress.
‘There’s a genuine effort going on to ensure that we retain the membership of Micronesian members. I am confident that we’ll find a way through but we’re just going to take our time as members of the forum to do that.
During opening statements on Friday, Fijis Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and Puna spoke about a threat from the Micronesian countries to leave the forum, and Puna urged the forum to remain united in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Bainimarama, who became chairman of the forum on Friday, said the election of the secretary-general could have been handled better, and the forum must tackle the core challenge before it, referring to the Micronesian nations.
To our Micronesian brothers, I offer my deepest apologies. We could have handled the situation better. But I remain confident that we will find a way forward together. I hope this meeting provides an avenue for frank dialogue amongst us, he said.
Whilst I do not expect us to resolve our issues today, I hope our discussions will provide the guidance and wisdom required to frame our dialogue in the coming months to address our differences and renew our solidarity as one forum family.
Former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, centre, has recently become secretary-general of the Pacific Island Forum.
Bainimarama said the past 18 months had taught the Pacific nations about the pace and nature of change, and the need to work together.
We live in a world that is in turmoil. We are beset by a runaway climate crisis, a raging Covid-19 pandemic, and a worsening socio-economic crisis … the perfect storm.
Puna, speaking afterward, said his priorities as secretary-general were climate change, maritime boundaries, sea level rise, nuclear issues, and the short- and medium-term impacts of Covid-19.
And as we mark our 50th anniversary, we are faced with unprecedented challenges. We’re in the midst of the worst global pandemic in a century, our very existence is being threatened by climate change, geopolitical competition continues to intensify within our region, and indeed, our bond as one forum family is being put to the extreme test, he said.
Many have underestimated the value of a good conversation … With this, we will emerge stronger.
However, it appeared not all wanted to listen to Punas contribution to the conversation.
The president of Nauru, Lionel Aingimea, disconnected from the Zoom meeting moments prior to Puna speaking. He returned to the meeting after Puna had finished.
The forum leaders also watched a recorded message from United States President Joe Biden, who was invited to the meeting by Bainimarama. The US is not a member of the Pacific Island Forum.
US President Joe Biden recorded a message for the Pacific Leaders Forum meeting on Friday, in which he said the US was a proud Pacific power. (File photo)
In the message, Biden said the US was a proud Pacific power that would donate half a billion Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses to the global COVAX facility, which distributes vaccines to countries in need.
We’re not attaching any strings or conditions to these doses. This is about saving lives.
The United States has been looking to both New Zealand and Australia for guidance and support in the Pacific, according to a November briefing paper for the foreign minister written by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials.
The paper, obtained under the Official Information Act, highlighted a perilous economic future for the Pacific caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
An economic decline will likely erase several years of progress in economic development and poverty reduction. Without large amounts of external financial support, these could turn into major economic crises, the paper read.
With job prospects scarce and labour mobility curtailed by Covid-19, social inequalities will be exacerbated. Some countries will face a growing pool of marginalised youth half the regions population will be under 25 by 2030.
Jacinda Ardern has been taking part in a major meeting of Pacific leaders, conducted via Zoom.
