Prime Minister Marape leaves for Tuvalu

Prime Minister James Marape is leaving the country today to join Pacific Leaders in Tuvalu to attend the special pre-COP31 Leaders’s event and hold  a bilateral meeting with Tuvalu Prime Minister, Feleti Teo.

The COP31 event happening in Tuvalu from October 5-8 is one that is being delivered by Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia ahead of the official COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.

According to Marape, his visit would show PNGs solidarity with Tuvalu and other small island developing states facing the serious impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.

Marape said Tuvalu is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of population and land areas yet is on the frontline of a global climate crisis that it has contributed very little towards.

He said PNG had consistently supported solutions that would allow Tuvaluans to remain in their homeland rather than being forced to relocate due to rising sea levels.

He added that during the Pacific Islands forum Leaders Meeting in Funafuti in 2019,  he advocated for the use of land reclamation, engineering  and technology to help protect Tuvalu’s territory and enable its people to remain in their country.

Marape also stated that PNG has committed a total of K5 million to assist Tuvalu with land reclamation and that his meeting with Prime Minister Teo would provide an opportunity to discuss progressing this assistance.

Furthermore, Marape said the situation in Tuvalu should also send a strong message to major economies and major greenhouse-gas emitters.

He also thanked Australia for its leadership in ensuring Pacific priorities are elevated in the COP31 process.

ENDS//