Eco-friendly future theme of PALM5 Japan-Pacific meet
Updated
Leaders of Japan and the Pacific Islands Forum countries are meeting in Tokyo on Friday for the Pacific Islands Leaders' Meeting, PALM5, with the theme 'We Are Islanders - Towards an Eco-Friendly and Rich Future'.
The Fiji Embassy in Japan has confirmed that Ambassador Ratu Inoke Kubuabola will be attending PALM 5, even though Fiji has been suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum. Japan's Department of Foreign Affairs banned Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and Cabinet members from the meeting. Representing Australia will be Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan.
Kiminori Iwama is the Director of the Oceania Division in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was asked why the Japanese government chose this eco-friendly theme.
Presenter: Kate McPherson
Speaker: Kiminori Iwama, Director of the Oceania Division in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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KIMINORI IWAMA, DIRECTOR OCEANIA DIVISION, JAPANESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I think Pacific Island countries are facing many problems. From our perspective, one of the most acute problems is the environment and climate change issue, so we put an emphasis on tackling this issue as a top priority.
KATE MCPHERSON: So, on that issue of climate, it says that you'll be establishing a Pacific environmental community. How will this be achieved?
KIMINORI IWAMA: Oh, yes. The thing we are aiming at is to share the common interest or the common value to maintain the beautiful ocean and the islands as a common target. Not only from the perspective of Japan and other donors, but from the perspective of Pacific Islands. So, this is a sort of a political commitment from the Japanese government.
KATE MCPHERSON: Is Japan concerned about sea level rise?
KIMINORI IWAMA: Yes, sure. Well, actually, we are tackling those adaptation issues in the context of our initiative, called Kuros Partnership Program, which contains how we can mitigate, or assist to mitigate or adapt the affect of climate change on sea level rise.
KATE MCPHERSON: So what are some of the solutions that you're considering?
KIMINORI IWAMA: From the perspective of the Pacific Islands, the adaptation is one of the main themes to be tackled. What we have in mind is that we would like ot introduce our eco-friendly to the Pacific Islands, such as the solar panel and the purificiaiton of the salt water, the sea water, which we can contribute.
KATE MCPHERSON: Will this meeting be discussing things such as Japan providing Pacific Islands with more aid for purposes such as the environment?
KIMINORI IWAMA: The volume is one of the important issues, but the volume itself is not the goal of our cooperation. What we are aiming at is how we can effectively provide assistance and how we can maintain and strengthen partnership through development assistance and human-to-human cooperation. We will intensify our contact with our counterpart in the Pacific region. Invest not in terms of econ...
KATE MCPHERSON: Aid?
KIMINORI IWAMA: The private sector, but invest in the resources of the government.
KATE MCPHERSON: So the environment and marine resources are common assets for both Japan and the Pacific Islands countries. So what progress do you hope to make at the meeting in terms of conservation.
KIMINORI IWAMA: We would like to cover many aspects of the environmental issues, such as materials and biodiversity and so on and so forth.
