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September 5th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Updated
Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum countries have adopted the Majuro declaration, leading the world in action on climate change.
The Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership, named after the atoll in the Marshall Islands where this year’s forum has just concluded, describes climate change as one of the greatest challenges for the world.
The declaration commits the countries to increasing their efforts to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions by turning to alternative, sustainable energy resources.
Marshall Islands President, Christopher Loeak, says he hopes the declaration would be a game changer in the global fight to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“It is our aim to provide leadership to the world on climate change,” Mr Loeak said.
“It is only right that we do that because we are the most vulnerable to climate change even though we do not contribute much to it.”
President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau, host of next year’s Pacific Islands Forum, says climate change would be as important an issue at next year’s Forum.
“It’s always going to be an issue… whether it’s Majuro, whether it’s Cook Islands last year or whether it’s Palau next year,” Mr Remengesau said.
“This is the heart of our very survival as people and island communities.”
Attached to the Majuro Declaration on Climate Leadership is a list of the measures each of the 15 Member Countries are taking to reduce greenhouse emissions.
President Loeak of the Marshall Islands says New Zealand and Australia have agreed to reduce their emissions.
“I believe they will come up with more ambitious targets than currently are in place now…But Australia now is going to an election,” Mr Loeak said.
Australian Labor Government’s Minister for Mental Heath and Ageing, Senator Jacinta Collins, represented Australia at the Forum.
She says the Government was in caretaker mode and could not make any new commitments with the elections due.
Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, the President of the Marshall Islands, will be presenting the declaration to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
The declaration says it will be presented as a contribution to the UN Secretary General’s efforts to catalyse ambitious climate action and mobilise political will for a universal ambitious and legally binding climate change agreement by 2015.
Fiji’s re-admission to the Pacific Islands Forum
Leaders at the forum expressed commitment to revisit Fiji’s suspension from the Forum, welcoming the release of Fiji’s new constitution and its imminent approval by the President of Fiji.
They say the new constitution is an important step towards free and fair elections in Fiji next year.
Any invitation for Fiji’s re-admission to the Forum will not be made until after the Fiji elections which on the current schedule will fall just after next year’s forum in Palau.
Marshal Islands – US dispute on nuclear contamination issues
The Forum leaders welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s report that was submitted to the UN Human Rights Council last year, supporting the Marshall Islands in its efforts to engage the United States towards a justified resolution of the US nuclear testing program.
The report outlines measures that the United States, the United Nations and the Marshall Islands should take to address the Marshall Islands’ dispute with the United States over further compensation for the impacts of radioactive contamination as a result of the U.S. nuclear bomb tests in the Marshalls in the late 1940s and 1950s.
The forum leaders are considering submitting a letter to the US government urging the US to take action to “meaningfully address the ongoing impacts resulting from the US nuclear testing program”.
They are also going to speak to the United Nations Secretary General as they say the Marshall Islands was placed by the international community under a trusteeship of the United Nations to the United States.
Topics:
climate-change,
environment,
environmental-impact,
environmental-management,
environmental-policy,
government-and-politics,
marshall-islands,
pacific
First posted
Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-05/majuro-declaration-pacific-islands-forum/4939520
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