New York, Saturday, 26 September, 2015. Prime Minister Hon Voreqe Bainimarama met today with his Swedish counterpart Hon Stefan Lofven in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly currently underway in New York. In the first meeting between the two Prime Ministers warm greetings were exchanged, with a commitment between both to work in mutual support in efforts to combat Climate Change and reverse the decline of Ocean’s health.
Prime Minister Bainimarama expressed Fiji’s appreciation to Sweden for the assistance provided to Fiji within the framework of the European Union and for its support to the international community through UN peacekeeping and overseas development assistance.
In a spirit of North-South cooperation and mutual respect, Prime Minister Lofven assured Prime Minister Bainimarama that Sweden was committed to working with Fiji to fulfil the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted at the UN Headquarters yesterday. He said he was very pleased that Sweden and Fiji would be working together to ensure the implantation of SDG14, the Ocean’s goal.
Prime Minister Bainimarama thanked his counterpart for Sweden’s partnering with Fiji in co-sponsoring the first of the planned Triennial UN Conferences on Oceans and Seas, to be held in Fiji in June 2017. The Prime Ministers agreed that the Triennial Conferences were essential to the implementation and accountability of SDG14, the Ocean’s Goal of the Sustainable Development Goals.
During their discussions, the two leaders also agreed to work together in the approach to the all-important Climate Change conference in Paris later this year. Prime Minister Bainimarama encouraged the Swedish Government to look closely at the Suva Declaration on Climate Change in their preparations for the Paris agreement.
Further discussions covered cooperation between Sweden and Fiji in the areas of UN peacekeeping, UN elections and tourism.
DEPTFO