The Forum Foreign Ministers have endorsed the implementation of the redesigned Pacific Resilience Facility which would help address the needs of Pacific countries, specifically in terms of building climate resilience and climate adaptation measures.
Forum chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister told the media on Friday that “there were nine initiatives altogether that were discussed” at the one-day meeting in Suva.
“Last month, it was endorsed by the finance ministers and economic ministers. Today (Friday) was further endorsed by the foreign ministers to go to leaders. This again is an initiative (and) we’re looking for development partners to seed funding into this particular facility,” Mr Brown said.
“It is a facility that has been designed by Pacific members, by Pacific countries to address the needs of Pacific countries, specifically in terms of building climate resilience, and climate adaptation measures.
“For us to have good strong, and sustainable economies with strong sustainable societies, we really need to be able to engage on those level playing fields in a way that is sustainable, in a way that provides mutual benefit to both of us but also in terms that we as Pacific countries set it out as.
“Once it’s adopted by leaders in November, this facility can then be taken out to events such as the COP (conference of the parties) 28 meeting in Dubai, to say that ‘hey, if you would like to engage with the Pacific in terms of addressing climate action, this is a facility that will address climate action needs for Pacific countries’, rather than the global funds that are existing like the Green Climate Fund.”
Mr Brown said this was a basis for Pacific countries to be able to advance any initiative, whether it’s a regional bilateral, or one that countries could use.
“It is really establishing ourselves as partners with those who want to engage with us. It is on a mutual benefit basis; it is on a true benefit basis rather than in the old benevolent donor and grateful recipient arrangements that existed.”
Other points of discussion from the forum’s agenda included gender equality, a declaration on the continuity of statehood and the protection of persons in the face of climate change-related sea level rise, and climate action and advocacy.
