Twenty Pacific island countries and about ten foreign countries will meet in Nadi next month for the inaugural Pacific Islands Development Forum.

Australia is yet to indicate whether it will participate.

Foreign Affairs Deputy Secretary, Penijamini Lomaloma says the high level meeting will look at development pathways and their effects on economic growth.

“One of that pathways is green economy. What it’s all about is that we’ll still have economic growth but we will also make sure that the benefits includes everybody so its socially inclusive and thirdly we will also make sure that whatever we do does not undermine the ability of future generations to pursue their own developments so it means protecting the environment so that’s what green economy is all about. So this meeting is going to look at how we can bring in green economic policies into the Pacific”.

Lomaloma says the meeting will touch on key areas like leadership for sustainable development.

“There are two basic outcomes we’re trying to secure. The first is common to any meeting that is the political commitment. This meeting the clear instruction that we’ve given to all speakers the focus of the meeting is not only to get those commitments but to indentify things that can be immediately implemented in other words we are focusing on projects that can be implemented, identify partners that can work on those projects that is the second outcome we’re looking for”.

Pacific Island leaders endorsed the PIDF at their ‘Engaging With the Pacific’ meeting held in Nadi last year.