Govt to give $10m for Fiji seed bank
The Government has announced $10 million for a seed bank in Fiji — the first funding from its $1.3 billion climate fund set up in October. It comes as Pacific leaders, in Suva this week for the Pacific Islands Forum, urge New Zealand and Australia to step up action on climate change, which poses an existential threat to low-lying nations.
Also high on the agenda are rising geopolitical tensions, with China and United States vying for influence, and unity within the forum itself after Kiribati announced it was leaving.
Speaking from Fiji after the announcement, PM Jacinda Ardern said she had met Palau’s president yesterday morning, and discussed issues within Micronesia over the Pacific Islands Forum.
She had also spoken to the World Bank and IMF representatives on the global economy, and strains on it from Ukraine and Covid-19 lockdowns.
She said energy resilience was a major issue.
On the issues around the Suva Agreement that prompted Kiribati to withdraw from the Forum this week, and over the Forum’s decision not to appoint a Micronesian candidate as the Forum’s secretary general, Ardern said she believed there was agreement by many countries to the Suva Agreement plan, which would see it go to Micronesia from 2024.
Ardern said she hoped Kiribati would re-enter the Forum, noting climate change in particular was an issue for it which was best addressed regionally.
Meanwhile, United States Vicepresident Kamala Harris has announced she will address the leaders in a virtual meeting this morning. It comes after reports China had sought a meeting with leaders on the same day as the Forum leaders’ retreat tomorrow.
The Forum had decided to exclude observer countries this year, including the United States and China, which typically send representatives to attend side-meetings.
Ardern said Harris’ address was within the context of fisheries, and she did not see the move as anything different from interest in the past.
Ardern said while US and China had been in the Pacific for some time, the interest of some had waxed and waned.
She said China had increased its attention lately, and when that moved to security elements “that concerns us”.
“We have an example of a development partner who’s been around the Pacific for decades, but is certainly increasing their activity, and changing the way in which they engage.
“And from New Zealand’s perspective we’ve said that there are elements of that, particularly when it comes to the security arrangements of the region, that concern us.”
The PM is due to meet with Solomon Islands’ PM Manasseh Sogavare today, and said she was keen to talk about its agreement with China. She will also meet Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama.