PIDF was delighted and honored to accept the offer of partnership with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India, in facilitating a Sustainable Development Summit. This followed a visit to the Secretariat by a delegation led by the Indian High Commissioner to Fiji and senior officials from TERI to discuss finer details of the Summit scheduled for May 25-26, 2017.
Following the landmark Paris Agreement and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the global community, the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit evolved into the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) to carry forth a legacy of fifteen years.
WSDS 2018, is slated for February 15-17, 2018 under the theme of ‘Creating a Resilient Planet – Partnering to Implement’. In the run-up to WSDS 2018, a series of pre-events are being hosted comprising of overseas conferences which include countries of Fiji, Guyana and Ethiopia.
The WSDS 2018 pre-event series aims at engaging with leading policy-makers, corporates, researchers and members of civil society to find and promote solutions for a sustainable future. These events will at the international and national level promote ‘advocacy for implementation’ with a primary focus on sharing regional experience and enabling local solutions for global challenges.
The Summit is being hosted in Fiji as a regional meet engaging 14 islands (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu).
“In line with our vision of a united, distinctive and sustainable Pacific society, we pride ourselves in enabling green blue Pacific economies through inclusive strategies, multi-stakeholder governance and genuine partnership – proving to be the Pacific’s only participatory platform on sustainable development,” said PIDF Secretary General, François Martel.
“Therefore, this collaboration will enhance PIDF’s function as the regional counterpart for South-South cooperation by finding and promoting solutions for a sustainable future.”
In addition to plenaries, focused sessions on the themes of renewable energy, disaster management, medical and healthcare facilities, business and technology, NDCs and blue economy will be discussed. Ministerial level sessions will also be held.
The Secretariat anticipates further discussions on the planning of this Summit and looks forward to establishing a closer working relationship with TERI.