20 Nov 2017

COP23 boosts Fiji pride says academic

From , 6:03 am on 20 November 2017

Fiji's centre stage role at global climate talks this week is a world away from the notoriety it's earned over the years for coups and military strongmen.

The country's prime minister Frank Bainimarama is presiding over the COP23 summit in Bonn and has been pushing the interests of small island countries which are at the forefront of dealing with global warming.

A professor of development studies at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji Vijay Naidu told Sally Round that's been generally welcomed in Fiji.

Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji and President of the COP23 attends the opening session of the COP23 United Nations Climate Change Conference on November 6, 2017 in Bonn, Germany.

Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji and President of the COP23 attends the opening session of the COP23 United Nations Climate Change Conference on November 6, 2017 in Bonn, Germany. Photo: AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ