Bainimarama to Press for Blue Charter
The existential threat posed by climate change and the adoption of the Commonwealth Blue Charter on ocean governance has topped discussions among ministers and senior officials from the 53 Commonwealth nations at Lancaster House in London.
The discussions were held as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). They discussed how member states could work even closer together on sustainability, fairness, security and prosperity. Speaking on the UK's ITV News, Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland said: “It is really exciting because every foreign minister around that table said they were wholly supportive of the Blue Charter and they intended to recommend it to the heads.
"The Secretariat, with all our member states, has worked really hard to present it as a solution to some of the challenges we face. It's a proud moment for all our 53 countries and it is a proud moment for the Secretariat.
"We've got our fingers crossed that when our leaders see this, they will celebrate with us."
Earlier, at the opening of the 20th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Nadi in February, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said he would press for the Blue Charter – a key feature for CHOGM – to be as ambitious as possible to adequately address the threat to our oceans. He said he could not stress enough that the two were interlinked. “Which is why I am very gratified that among our many successes at the COP23 negotiations in Bonn in November, many in the global community endorsed and are joining our Ocean Pathway Partnership,” he said
Mr Bainimarama said it was vital for the future of Fiji and for the future of our planet.