By MICHELLE AUAMOROMORO in Suva, Fiji
THE Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Chair and Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama said there was much to be considered at the 51st PIF Leaders Meeting at this time when the world, including the region remained in state of turmoil while emerging from the grip of COVID-19 pandemic.
“At home, many of us continue to deal with long standing socio economic challenges and have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Our sources of revenue have been hit hard,” he said during his opening remarks at the PIF Dialogue with Associate Members and Forum Observers yesterday.
Mr. Bainimarama said while the communities and public health systems had been heavily impacted, the region continued to deal with a runaway climate change crisis “in which we will soon find ourselves on the brink of no return.”
“Climate change is hurting our people’s security and livelihoods.
“It is damaging our economies and, in many instances, it is threatening our very sovereignty as climate induced sea-level rise threatens our ease.”
Mr. Bainimarama added that global geopolitical landscape had been hotly competitive with emerge of the multipolar system, featuring major superpower rivalry alongside a number of middle powers “all clamoring to shape the world, in their favor.”
“We have seen this in our region for the past few months,” he said.
The Russia-Ukraine war had also further complicated global political and economic stability.
“Our economies, already hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic must now contend with the added economic impacts of this conflict.”
Mr. Bainimarama went on to say that by way of balance, the Pacific island countries, as individual countries and as a region had much strength and many opportunities despite the challenges.
“Our people are useful and innovative of cultures, provided natural resilience and social protection to buffer the shocks we face.
“We have significant natural resources on land and particularly in our ocean.
“In this context, I offer the most important considerations for us this week:
“How will we, the PIF choose to navigate these challenges and opportunities as we walk into the future? Will we forge ahead together? Will we take individual paths? Will we be assertive or will we leave it to others to decide our fate?
“Our connections are anchored in the ancient past where our ancestors once saved and traded, bringing us together as people of the Pacific.
“This connection got our unity today, giving us common identity and purpose.
Mr. Bainimarama added that the region needed a vision and a plan in addition to unity.
“This brings me to the 2050 strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
“I’m pleased to note that we will have the opportunity to consider the strategy in our retreat on Thursday (tomorrow).
Mr. Bainimarama said he was confident that this strategy would serve as the region’s ‘North Star’ for the decades to come, providing a long-term vision and a sense of shared trajectory in the key themes and strategic pathways that it sets up.
“The success of the 2050 strategy begins and ends with us.
“With that said, this 51st PIF Leaders Meeting is an opportunity for us to put a stake in the ground.
“It is an opportunity for us to declare that as a united family, we will come together, we will share, we will seize our shared opportunities, we will leverage our shared strengths and resources, and we will combat our challenges together.
“It is an opportunity for us to declare that we are the owners and the custodians of these lands in this ocean and we will work together to secure, protect and leverage our resources for ourselves and our generations to come.”
Mr. Bainimarama ended his opening remarks by acknowledging the Micronesian countries.
“It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge our brothers and sisters from Micronesia.
“I acknowledge again, the breakdown in our connections over the past few years.
“My hope is that through our dialogue mechanism and the resolutions that we are working towards, you continue to find value in indeed belonging within the forum family
“There are lessons we can learn from our predecessors this week, starting with the nurturing of our relationship with one another.”
