The Third Ministerial Interim Meeting (MIM3) of the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) process attended by 16 Forum members will be held tomorrow, January 17, in Tokyo, Japan.
Hosted by the Government of Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the meeting will review the outcomes and implementation progress of PALM 7 in 2015, and begin discussions on PALM 8 in 2018.
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For Pacific Islands Forum member countries, the meetings allow candid discussions around development issues and the unique vulnerabilities island nations experience in relation to sustainable development.
“As Forum Chair, and in the spirit of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, I am particularly looking forward to discussing the Pacific’s relations with Japan in the areas of climate change and ocean management,” said Secretary of the Federated States of Micronesia Department of Foreign Affairs Hon. Lorin S Robert.
“Key opportunities lie ahead for the Pacific to advance the priorities of our people at the upcoming High-Level UN Conference to implement SDG 14 on Oceans (co-hosted by Fiji); and to work with partners like Japan to implement the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific.”
Pacific island nations are also seeking Japan’s support through the World Bank for an expansion of the definition of “fragility” in the context of sustainable development to include vulnerability to climate change and economic, equity, access, geographical and environmental challenges.
The triennial PALM was initiated by Japan in 1997 to strengthen relations with Forum Island Countries and work jointly towards the development of the Pacific region.
The Pacific Island Forum – Japan partnership is underpinned by long-established historical, economic, trade and diplomatic links. The relationship reflects a shared commitment to build economic resilience for Forum Island Countries through addressing the impact of climate change, sustainable environment development and disaster risk reduction.
The Pacific appreciates Japan’s commitment to the Pacific Islands Centre to promote trade relations and tourism and encourages this to continue to grow.
Japan has been a Post-Forum Dialogue partner since 1989. Since PALM7 in May 2015 political commitments have facilitated Japan’s successful candidacy bid for a 2017-2017 non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council and the global observance of World Tsunami Day (November 5) which began in 2016. [/restrict]