President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere emphasized that despite Fiji’s small size, the nation significantly influences regional dynamics through its leadership and contributions to regionalism and multilateral cooperation.
During his speech at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ratu Wiliame highlighted Fiji’s inaugural Foreign Policy White Paper, which centers around three interconnected themes: sovereignty, security, and prosperity. He also mentioned Fiji’s National Development Plan, which aims to empower Fijians through unity, anchored in economic resilience, people empowerment, and good governance.
Fiji is committed to the principles of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the vision set forth by Pacific leaders for a thriving Blue Pacific. Ratu Wiliame expressed that as a significant Ocean State, Fiji advocates strongly for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and plans to ratify the agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) ahead of the upcoming third UN Oceans Conference in France.
He stressed the need to understand the vast ocean space using scientific data to make informed decisions. Additionally, he called for global collaboration with the UN to implement the outcomes from the Global Stock-take completed at COP28, advocating for drastic and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target.
Ratu Wiliame noted that transitioning from unabated coal power and fossil fuels in energy systems is essential for achieving net zero targets by 2050. He pointed out that there must be a substantial increase in both adaptation and mitigation financing.
He urged that the momentum from COP27 and COP28 regarding the Loss and Damage Fund and the Santiago Network needs to be intensified to support vulnerable communities, particularly in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, who are most affected by the climate crisis. He concluded by appealing to development partners to back Fiji’s efforts in these areas.