Secretary General (SG) of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland KC (left), Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka [Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

The Commonwealth has affirmed its commitment and support for Fiji’s climate action strategies on adaptation, mitigation, and resilience building.

This was articulated by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in a bilateral meeting with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Right Honorable Patricia Scotland KC, at Marlborough House in London.

The meeting focused on cooperation opportunities in preparation for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2024 to be held in Samoa this October.

The Pacific anticipates adoption of the Commonwealth Ocean Declaration at CHOGM 2024, a strategy that will solidify our collective commitment to ocean conservation and align with Sustainable Development Goal 14.

Rabuka says the Commonwealth, at 75, has an extensive program of action and initiatives.

It ranges from tackling ocean-related challenges and sustainable ocean development to addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, climate finance access hubs, debt management, and connectivity.

He says the government, through the Great Council of Chiefs, will extend an invitation to His Majesty King Charles III to visit Fiji while he is in the Pacific region for CHOGM24.

Rabuka also highlighted that Fiji is proud to lead the Ocean and Climate Change Action Group under the Commonwealth Blue Charter to address critical oceanic challenges.

The Prime Minister also called for the implementation of COP28 commitments in anticipation of COP29, which will be held in Azerbaijan later this year.