President Mori meets with Japan Prime Minister Abe along with Pacific Leaders in New York

(September 25, 2014) The first Japan-Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting was held today at the margins of the 69^th UNGA. The meeting was convened by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss issues of mutual interest to the Pacific and Japan under the umbrella of the PALM. Pacific Leaders thanked Prime Minister Abe for the timely opportunity to exchange views.

The meeting was held following the convening of the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit and as such, Pacific Leaders raised climate change and its adverse impacts on their peoples’ livelihood; social and economic development sectors such as fisheries, food and water security; the unfinished business of the millennium development goals, the Sustainable Development Goals and the post 2015 development agenda, the SAMOA Pathway, a reformed UN to be reflective of the times, Means of Implementation, among others.

FSM President Manny Mori took the opportunity to seek the support of Japan for FSM’s proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The proposed amendment to the Protocol, which has become one of the President’s pre-occupation during his term in office, will constrain the growth of HFCs as an initiative to close the pre-2020 emissions gap. President Mori also sought Japan’s support towards the full capitalization of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In his brief intervention during the exchange of views, President Mori assured the Japanese leader of FSM’s support for Japan’s candidature for the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the period 2016-17.  While Japan is running unopposed from the Asia-Pacific Group, it still needs a two-third of the votes to realize its goal.

Prime Minister Abe expressed his government’s support of the issues raised by the Pacific Leaders and assured them that they will be further discussed in PALM 7 in May 2015. He also sought the support of the Pacific for their candidature for the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the period 2016-17.