Delivered by the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna
at the Launch of the Pacific Partnerships for Prosperity Initiative at the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum
9 November 2023, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
The Honourable Mark Brown, Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
Honourable Leaders from across the Forum family
Honourable Ministers present
Forum Observers
Forum Dialogue Partners
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Representatives of our CROP and Regional Agencies
Development Partners
Civil Society and Private Sector representatives
Ladies and gentlemen
Kia orana and warm Pacific greetings to you all.
We have had a wonderful week here this week and I must convey my deep gratitude to our hosts, the people and Government of the Cook Islands. Meitaki Maata [pause for applause].
As your Secretary General, I am deeply proud to be a son of this country.
Excellencies, as our proceedings continue, it is my pleasure to welcome Forum Observers, Dialogue Partners, Special Guests, Civil Society, Private Sector, the media and our broader community into our fold.
To you our partners, I acknowledge the spirit of cooperation and friendship that you have demonstrated over the years. The things we have achieved as sovereign states and as a region could not have been possible without your support.
And now with our 2050 Strategy Implementation Plan in place, we look forward to an even greater level of commitment, as we navigate our challenges and opportunities in the years to come.
Excellencies, throughout the week we have had robust discussions on a broad range of critical issues confronting our communities and our people.
And central to our discussions this week have been a renewed political commitment to work together as one region through the 2050 IP.
With the plan now in place, supplemented by our Partnerships for Pacific Prosperity, we now have the agenda and approach to deliver impact at country and community level to improve the lives of all Pacific people.
And with this plan in place, we now invite all partners to continue to work with us as we embark on this journey towards a better future.
At the start of this week Forum Chair, Prime Minister Mark Brown, highlighted the critical need to ensure that Our Voices, Our Choices and Our Pacific Way are at the forefront of our journey to a safe, resilient, and prosperous future.
And through our discussions this week, and the endorsement of the 2050 Implementation Plan, we have endeavoured to do just that.
Excellencies, the climate crisis and our wider challenges are significant – but our strategic value and broader opportunities are limitless. But we must be politically committed, astute, and above all unified, as to how we take forward our 2050 Strategy.
Thank you again for joining us here tonight. Let us all join together to deliver on the promise of our region, for the good of all peoples of our Blue Pacific Continent.
Together we shall Promote, Partner and together we shall
There is no other way.
I thank you.
[ENDS]
