The Commonwealth has affirmed unwavering commitment and support for Fiji’s climate action strategies on adaptation, mitigation, and resilience building.
This was articulated by the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in a bilateral meeting with the Secretary General (SG) of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Rt. Patricia Scotland KC at Marlborough House in London yesterday.
The meeting focused on cooperation opportunities in the build up to the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024 to be held Samoa this October.
Rabuka stated that the Government, through the Great Council of Chiefs, will extend an invitation to His Majesty King Charles III to visit Fiji while he is in the Pacific region for CHOGM24.
At CHOGM 2024, the Pacific anticipates adoption of the Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, a strategy that will solidify our collective commitment to ocean conservation and align with Sustainable Development Goal 14.
The Declaration is expected to catalyze international cooperation and resource mobilization, for sustainability and resilience of oceans for future generations, and reinforcing the role of oceans in our climate resilience strategies and sustainable development goals.
Rabuka said the Commonwealth, at 75, has an extensive programme of action and initiatives ranging from tackling ocean-related challenges and sustainable ocean development, addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation, climate finance access hub, debt management and connectivity, amongst others.
The work of the Commonwealth Secretariat in the Pacific is tailored to respond to the unique needs of its small island developing states, and its engagements support the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
On ocean conservation, Rabuka highlighted that Fiji is proud to lead the Ocean and Climate Change Action Group under the Commonwealth Blue Charter, reflecting our commitment to addressing critical oceanic challenges such as climate change, marine pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices.
At the same time, he called for the implementation of COP28 commitments in anticipation of COP29 to be held in Azerbaijan later this year.
Fiji also looks forward to taking advantage of the Commonwealth’s Artificial Intelligence Consortium to support digital upskilling of young people and bridge the digital divide for small states.
Since its establishment in 1949, the modern Commonwealth has grown in both scale and influence with 56 member- countries, spanning five continents and representing a third of the world’s population.
It is a testament to the Commonwealth’s resilience that it remains a flourishing multilateral institution, still relevant to its members.
