A two member delegation from the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) Secretariat in Suva, Fiji, is currently in Honiara this week to meet with the Solomon Islands National Taskforce to finalise arrangements ahead of the PIDF Leader’s Summit next week.
The delegation which comprised of the Deputy Secretary General of PIDF, Peni Lomaloma and Tony Kabasi of the Solomon Islands High Commission in Suva held their first consultative meeting with the Taskforce in Honiara yesterday.
At the meeting, the Suva delegation was briefed on the various tasks and actions undertaken by the National Taskforce as it prepares for the Leaders Summit from July 12-13 in Honiara.
Chair of the Solomon Islands National Taskforce, Rence Sore, told the visiting delegation that his team has been working hard in the past weeks to ensure all the hosting requirements are put in place ahead of the Summit.
He said the visit by the Suva delegation is important so that the two groups can sort out any outstanding issues prior to the arrival of the Summit delegates.
Deputy Secretary General, Peni Lomaloma said his delegation will spend two weeks in Honiara and will continue to assist the National Taskforce as the countdown begins towards the Summit.
Solomon Islands is hosting the first Pacific Islands Development Forum Leaders’ Summit since the entry into force of its Charter on 4 September 2015.
Since then, the new Secretariat has increased its member-ship, advocated its flagship Suva Declaration for Climate Change at the COP21 in Paris, and builds its organizational structure together with new partnerships towards the implementation of its mandate on sustainable development through green and blue economies.
The Leaders’ Summit oversees the functioning and development of the PIDF and will approve policies, the strategic plan, budget and work programmes of PIDF for the years to come.
Climate resilience and follow-up on the Paris agreement in preparation for COP22 of the UNFCCC will remain a key topic of discussion during the Summit.
This year, the theme of the Summit will be “Stewardship for Healthy Oceans and Healthy Nations”.
The Summit will also include a special session on the Blue Economy to initiate the Pacific Islands leaders’ preparation for the First Triennial UN Conference on Oceans and Seas to be held in Fiji in June 2017.
