Onus on Solomon Islands to tackle climate change

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BY GEORGINA KEKEA
CLIMATE change and sea level rise, care and sustainable harvesting of Pacific Ocean Resources were some of the issues that the Solomon Islands government had re-emphasized during the recent meeting of Pacific Island Leaders (PALM) in Japan. 

Speaking to local media and dignitaries, Prime Minister Rick Hou says these are some of the issues high on the agenda, during PALM8.

However Prime Minister Hou says they haven’t covered the specifics from Solomon Islands point of view on climate change. He says under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIP), the climate change issue will be covered for the whole pacific rather than on specific countries.

 “So it will be up to Solomon Islands now, we would be taking this directly with Japan how we want to address our program in terms of addressing the climate change and sea rise. For us we have to take it separately from this Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”. 

Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy has become one of the key concepts in Japan’s contemporary foreign policy. The main aim of Japan’s FOIP is to promote connectivity between Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

PM Hou says there has been a misunderstanding on the issue of bilateral and multilateral relationships between Japan and the Pacific Island Countries but he said the Declaration reached at the end of PALM8 will assist them in the way forward.

Solomon Islands had requested Japan and other development partners take tangible steps to support efforts of Pacific Island Countries and also acknowledges Japan’s support to Solomon Islands through the Green Climate Fund. This is towards funding of the Tina Hydro Project.

ENDS///

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