Tonga PM wants ‘more action’ as Pacific leaders summit opens

Against the backdrop of heavy rain and earthquakes, the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Summit (PIFLM53) officially opened in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.

It was raining heavily in the Kingdom of Tonga, but the warm and soothing performance of the Tonga High School’s famous brass band brought tears to the eyes of proud Tongans and guests at the opening ceremony on Monday morning.

“We need to do more, not just talk,” said Hu’akavameiliku, Tonga’s prime minister and the new forum chairperson, when asked about his vision for the region.

“We put together a show with rain and flooding, and also gave you a little shock with the earthquake, just to make you aware of the realities that we have to deal with in the Pacific, you know, with natural disasters like this.

“I think we’ve suffered losses and we need to really build up our resilience now,” he told New Zealand’s Pacific Radio.

The political crisis in New Caledonia has topped the agenda.

Huacavallo said the forum attached great importance to finding ways to help ease the current situation in New Caledonia.

“We hope to be able to have a dialogue with France as well as New Caledonia during the forum, especially before the leaders withdraw.”

Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa also told the media that a solution was needed.

“Unfortunately, they need to coordinate arrangements with the French government and local New Caledonians, and I think more needs to be done, but we would very much like to see a good solution for the Kanak people.”

On Sunday, the Kiribati delegation headed by Minister of Education Alexander Tibu It is clear that both West Papua and New Caledonia belong to the Pacific Ocean.

However, Tuvalu leader Feleti Teo is more conservative on the issue.

“It is too early to make any assessment as I was part of the decision by the collective leadership to send a team to Noumea ahead of the Tonga meeting”.

The New Caledonian crisis has lasted more than three months since violence broke out in May.

So far, there is no sign of a solution, as French Government and Local Government of New Caledonia There are differences among the parties on what is the correct path for territorial development.

As France’s election drags on and leaders bicker, a Kanak youth told Radio New Zealand that Pacific Islanders are suffering.

“People are suffering every day. They need answers from all politics and institutions. People here are looking for food, they are looking for my future because I lost my job.

“It’s the same from whichever side, whether it’s the Kanak side or the European side. That’s why we need to help people. We need to provide everything for the future of the people here.”

He told Radio New Zealand people in the Pacific were losing hope.

The Cook Islands Prime Minister and outgoing Forum Chair, who was instrumental in launching the Pacific Islands Forum Ministerial Delegation to New Caledonia, said while the high-level delegation had not yet taken place, it was “going very well”.

“We’re glad to be able to have this conversation.

“Part of our mission is actually to be a strong advocate for de-escalation of violence and to work towards getting the member states to sit down for dialogue and work on a way forward for New Caledonia.

He said the President of the New Caledonian Government, Louis Mapou, would arrive in Tonga today.

Climate ‘leadership moves to global stage’

The climate crisis was also a key topic at the meeting, which was also attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“The world has a lot to learn from the Pacific, and you must step up as well. The world must step up as well to support your initiatives,” he said.

The UN chief said the Pacific was a “region of intrepid seafarers, skilled fishermen and deep ancestral knowledge of the ocean”.

“But humans are treating the ocean like a sewer. Plastic pollution is killing marine life. Greenhouse gases are causing ocean warming and acidification, and sea levels are rising dramatically.

He said Pacific island nations had contributed to protecting the climate, the planet and the oceans by declaring a climate emergency and driving action.

“Through your declarations on sea level rise and your desire for a just transition to a fossil fuel-free Pacific, young people from the Pacific have taken the climate crisis to the International Court of Justice, and you have rightly recognised this as a security crisis and taken steps to collectively manage these risks.”

Guterres said the Pacific island countries are committed to building a fossil fuel-free Pacific, an ambitious goal that is a blueprint for the Group of 20 (the world’s largest economies) and the world.

However, he said the region urgently needed significant funding and technology to accelerate transformation and invest in adaptation and resilience.

“Pacific island nations have a moral and practical responsibility to project their leadership and voice onto the global stage,” he said.