The deputy director-general of the Pacific Community welcomes Fiji's bid to preside over next year's UN Climate Change Conference, COP23.
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Cameron Diver says Fiji put in a bid for the co-chair at the next COP round during the current talks in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Next year's COP meeting is due to be held at the UN Climate Change headquarters in Bonn and Fiji is vying to co-chair the meeting alongside the UNFCCC.
Mr Diver says the bid is endorsed by the grouping of Small Island States and is supported by other Pacific Island delegations in Marrakesh.
"We see this as positive because it will be the first time that a Pacific nation would hold the presidency for a climate change COP and obviously that's quite a significant opportunity to re-shine a light on the challenges that the Pacific is facing because of the urgency of the climate change issues that our countries and populations are really on the front line of."
Fiji's bid is due to be put to the main group in Marrakesh in the next few days and further support will be needed from the current conference participants.
