President Mori receives Secretary General Meg Taylor of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

On January 20, 2015, President Emanuel Mori receives Dame Meg Taylor, DBE, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Palikir, Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia. President Mori welcomed Secretary General Taylor to the FSM and thanked her for taking the time to travel to the Northern part of the Pacific, especially here in the FSM.  

Last year in Palau the Forum Leaders endorsed the appointment of Dame Meg Taylor, DBE, as the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat for a three year term. Secretary General Taylor is the first woman to be selected to hold the office of Secretary General. This is her first visit to the FSM, after assuming her post, as an introductory visit to the FSM.  The visit to the FSM is based on her commitment to visit all member states in early part of 2015. She was accompanied by her staff, Ms. Desna Solofa, Director Political Governance and Security Program.

During her Call on the President, Secretary General Taylor expressed her gratitude and thanked the President for making the time to meet her.  She briefly shared with the President her vision and priorities during her first term, especially on the issue related to the new Framework for Pacific Regionalism.  

Among other issues, she also indicated the important roles of the CROP Agencies and Development Partners in the region and how to strengthen the relations among members and the development partners. The other issue raised in the meeting is on the Special Sub-Committee on Regionalism (SSCR), which member states have been invited by the Forum Secretariat to submit its potential candidate that can assist the Forum Secretariat in implementing the Framework for Pacific Regionalism.  They also discussed areas of coordination on the issues of climate change and fisheries in preparation for upcoming meetings this year. 

The President was also briefed on the upcoming Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting, which is tentatively scheduled from September 7-11, 2015 in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as well as the next year’s Forum which will be held in the FSM.   As part of her first visit to the FSM, the Secretary General also paid a courtesy call on the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Pohnpei State Government.

Joining President Mori in the meeting were the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lorin S. Robert, the Chief of Staff, Mr. Leo Falcam Jr. and staff from the President’s Office and the Department of Foreign Affairs.  The Secretary General left FSM on January 21 for Marshall Islands to continue her introductory visit in the North Pacific.