Natural disasters top agenda at Pacific foreign ministers meeting

Better preparation for natural disasters in the Pacific will be at the top of the agenda for foreign ministers from 18 countries meeting July 9-10 in Sydney, Australia. The Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting will gather representatives from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Associate members French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Tokelau will also be present. Micronesia, a member of the Pacific Island Forum, will be the only country absent due to the inauguration of its president.

“The meeting will be used to discuss how PIF members can bolster disaster management in the region including for preparation, response and recovery,” a spokesman for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Devex. The foreign ministers will be seeking to strengthen national leadership though supportive regional responses to natural hazards. Experiences and lessons learned from Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu and Typhoon Maysak in the Philippines will play a valuable part in discussions, and the meeting will look to establish opportunities for initiatives that will build resilience and mitigate effects of disasters in the region.

https://www.devex.com/news/natural-disasters-top-agenda-at-pacific-foreign-ministers-meeting-86497