The President of the Republic of Fiji, His Excellency Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, emphasised the importance of multilateralism to address the challenges of climate change impacts and rising sea levels in the Pacific.
Speaking at the welcoming dinner of the 65th Asia Pacific Organizations Workshop Meeting 2024 in the Sofitel Resort in Denarau Nadi yesterday, President Katonivere highlighted that Pacific Island States, most of which are low-lying islands have become targets of environmental disasters.
President Katonivere shared that platforms such as the APO workshop provide the perfect opportunity to think of solutions for a sustainable future.
“Our island nations continue to also grapple with the impacts of climate-induced disasters. These disasters have devastating roll-on effects on island ecosystems and vulnerable communities, and responding to disasters is costly for small, developing island nations, Fiji included.”
“Fiji’s commitment to multilateralism is unwavering. We will offer our full support to discussions that foster mutual understanding and collaboration to achieve shared goals, such as during this workshop meeting of the Asian Productivity Organisation.”
“We will support international platforms addressing climate change, such as the UN Conference of the Parties and the APO GP Advisory Council. We also will continue to work closely with the APO and its members to advance efforts to achieve prosperity through productivity.”
Fiji is the only Pacific Island nation member of the Asian Productivity Organization.
To read more of President Katonivere’s speech, click on: https://bit.ly/40c7Kot