Climate Change at the Heart of the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu

The Leaders Retreat, the Forum's major event,  took place behind closed doors  Thursday 15 August to examine the key issues identified during  the Forum's Officials and Foreign Ministers Meetings; which took place between 23-26 July in Fiji. The main objectives were to  support the implementation of the Blue Pacific 2050 Strategy  to ensure the region's long-term sustainability.  "It will depend on our capacity to manage major risks such as climate change, geopolitical issues and global economic transitions and their implications,"  declared Thierry Santa. "New Caledonia fully supports this thirty-year strategy  and the idea of provviding visibility to our collective efforts , to promote a common identity, embodied by a blue continent to be passed on to future generations."  
PIF Leaders acknowledged  that climate change was the single greateast threat to their sovereignty and their livelihood and that it was urgent to try to stem it effectively, "to secure our future." But  global greenhouse gas emissions keep rising  despite the committments made in the Paris Agreement. In Tuvalu, Leaders were encouraged to endorse a High Level Declaration to be submitted to the Climate Action  Summit, organized on 23 September in New York by United Nation's Secretary General, António Guterres, and the 25^th Conference of the Parties (COP 25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will take place  between 2-13 December in Santiago, Chile.

The Evolution of Maritime Bondaries

 " Small Pacific Territories are facing a dire situation. They insist on the fact that the modalities agreed upon during COP 21 in Paris must be implemented by everybody," declared the President of the Government of New Caledonia. Long discussions took place during the retreat, notably because of the climato-skeptic positions adopted by Australia, which whithout denying reality, argues  that the problem could be solved without penalizing its minning industry , and notably coal-mining.

Other points were discussed during the Forum, such as the definition of maritime boundaries. Indeed, they might evolve due to rising sea levels . Pacific Islands obviously wish to maintain  boundaries as "currently drawn."  "New Caledonia supports the recomendation aiming to develop  a Regional Strategy which ensures  that current boundaries are maintained, despite rising sea levels," declared Thierry Santa. During the Forum, the President of the Government held several bilateral meetings, notably with PIF Secretary General Meg Taylor,  Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison,  Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape or Charlot Salwai, Prime Minister of Vanuatu.

Thierry Santa  and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison .