“We can only achieve our greatest goals by working together” – Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong explains why the Pacific Islands Forum is more important now than ever

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong

Across the Pacific, we share many of the same goals: creating more good jobs, providing better health care and schools, building safe communities — and we all want to address climate change.

Only by working together can we achieve our greatest goals.

When Pacific nations unite, we can achieve more.

This is why the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is so important.

The Pacific Islands Forum is a place where 18 Pacific member countries, including the Republic of Palau and Australia, come together to solve problems and work towards common goals.

Over the past 50 years, Pacific Islands Forum member countries have made progress in their efforts to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

With so many big issues to address right now, the PIF is more important than ever.

This week, Pacific Islands Forum leaders will meet, including Chairperson His Excellency Surangir Whipps, the President of the Republic of Palau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Australia sees these meetings as our best opportunity to hear from Pacific leaders on Pacific priorities.

At recent meetings, Australia listened to calls from Pacific nations to better prepare for natural disasters such as cyclones and floods.

Australia is taking action on what we are hearing. This month, Australia and New Zealand announced a major investment in the Pacific Humanitarian Warehouse in Fiji.

This will establish an emergency supply warehouse on the other side of the Pacific Ocean in case of emergency.

Wherever I go in the Pacific, it is clear to me that climate change is the greatest and most immediate threat.

We’re making Australia’s energy supply even cleaner today – with 82 per cent of our energy mix coming from renewable sources by the end of the century. This is part of our journey to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

We are helping Pacific countries prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The Pacific is our home, and in the face of many challenges, we will continue to play our role in the Pacific Islands Forum.

By working together, we can maintain peace, stability, and prosperity in our region for many years to come.

Media Inquiries

• Minister’s Office: +61 2 6277 7500
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs media contact number: +61 2 6261 1555

August 26, 2024

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