Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma addresses the Plenary Formal Session of the 46th Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma today addressed the Plenary Formal Session of the 46th Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
In his speech, he highlighted the decades of work that have put the Commonwealth at the forefront of policy research and global advocacy for small states and to raising awareness and practical approaches to meet their distinctive needs.
These include the development of a vulnerability and resilience framework; a globally-recognised debt management tool, which services US$8.75bn public debt across the Pacific region; practical assistance with the delimitation of national maritime boundaries for eight Commonwealth countries in the region, covering approximately 1.5m square kms; ocean governance; trade capacity-building; outreach to the G20 group of nations; youth development; and, a climate finance access hub.
Mr Sharma said: “The Pacific Island Forum and the Commonwealth share the same concerns and long-term goals. We measure the progress of our collaboration against the yardstick of how we contribute to the long-term stability and resilience of Pacific communities, and the impact on improving the welfare of this region’s citizens.
“It is through new thinking, mutual support, practical assistance and harnessing opportunities in innovative and sustainable ways that we will help deliver a robust and a more resilient Pacific. The Commonwealth is here to support and provide partnership with solidarity in realising this strategic vision for the region.”