A prominent non-government organisation (NGO) leader says she is confident the voice of civil society will be heard at this week's Pacific Islands Forum meeting.
Kiribati is one of the countries worst-hit by climate change. Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Regional NGOs are calling on forum leaders to act urgently on the issues of climate change and West Papua.
Emele Duituturaga from the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs, or PIANGO, says she is confident their appeal will be heard.
Ms Duituturaga says the Secretary General Meg Taylor's greater focus on regionalism includes a willingness to better work with civil society.
"The Pacific Island Forum will be convening a civil society gathering which will end with a breakfast meeting with the past, present and future chairs of the forum. That's as close as we will get to the leaders. We do see opportunities being opened up. We do see some serious effort to include the voices of civil society and I know for a fact that our leaders are not going to turn a blind eye."
Meanwhile the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change, Mary Robinson, is urging regional groups to work alongside each other so the Pacific is heard over climate change.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change, Mary Robinson. Photo: Supplied
The former Irish president says she was impressed by the determination and sense of urgency of country, civil society and business leaders over climate change at last week's Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) which she attended in Suva.
The PIDF was established by Fiji three years ago and last week's meeting resulted in the Suva Declaration which outlines the Pacific Islands' suffering and calls for bigger global commitments.
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says it will give a clear signal to the world to act.
"Our disappointment and frustration at the world's failure to act, runs through this entire document. We in the Pacific tend to speak softly but on this issue, [over] the last couple of days, we found out that we need to cry out with one voice, that enough is enough."
Mrs Robinson says the statement will have an impact on industrialised nations.
"I think they probably will have a good sense that this is a strong statement of urgency and that the Pacific islands are unhappy with the lack of progress in the world and that this is hurting them. That may well help create a greater sense of urgency."
Frank Bainimarama has accused Australia of being part of a coalition of the selfish on climate change and it is one of the reasons he is refusing to attend the Pacific Islands Forum this year of which both Australia and New Zealand are members.
Mrs Robinson has sounded a note of caution saying talks must continue at the Forum.
"I believe it would be helpful if the two fora are seen as complementary opportunities and that the two are complementary to each other rather than giving rise to some friction or rift or divisiveness because that would not be helpful."
Mrs Robinson says political leadership from the region is needed now at the highest level in the run up to crucial climate change talks in Paris.
