Pacific Leaders met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 23 September 2021 in a virtual meeting held on the margins of the high-level week of the seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Prime Minister of Fiji and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Hon. Josaia V. Bainimarama, opened the meeting, commemorating 50 years of Pacific regionalism and collective action as the Pacific Islands Forum. He noted that Pacific Leaders would soon consider the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, a vital step in addressing the challenges facing the Pacific, from planning and owning its development agenda to building regional resilience and a blue economy. The Prime Minister commended the Secretary-General’s advocacy on issues facing the Pacific, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, oceans, the Sustainable Development Goals, human rights, and nuclear legacy concerns. He also welcomed the opening of a multi-country United Nations office in the North Pacific. The Prime Minister urged the Secretary-General to continue to spread the region’s collective message of urgent climate action to the world. Continue reading →