MELANESIAN GOVERNMENTS BACK THE CALL FOR A FOSSIL FUEL FREE PACIFIC

The Heads of Government of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), comprised of Vanuatu, Fiji, Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS), Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, publicly endorsed the “Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific”, in their Leader’s Communique. This historic statement reflects the MSG’s collective resolve to address the climate crisis which is undermining human rights, destroying ecosystems and upending economic and social development across the Melanesian islands.

Hon. Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister during the time of the ministerial, said: “The MSG Communique, by acknowledging a climate emergency, and endorsing the Port Vila Call represents the collective ambition of our region to ensure the aspirations of the Paris Agreement remain alive. As leaders, it is our responsibility to leave no stone unturned in ensuring the continued survival and prosperity of our peoples and cultures.”

This is the fourth regional summit this year that has supported the Port Vila Call, with Pacific Economic Ministers calling for the endorsement of the Port Vila Call and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty proposal only a few weeks prior. This call will be brought to the Pacific Environment Ministers Meeting on September 8 in Apia, Samoa.