Page 16 - IB OCT 2017

Agriculture Week October 10-20 - Pac Economy Vanuatu’s biggest workforce
Face-to face ific clebrations P20 on farms P21

Police guard the proceedings at the closing of the forum in Apia. Photo: Nic Maclellan
From Page 15 together on one or two key issues, such Taylor: Some people have already
Papua New Guinea also puts in a as holding the line on the Paris Agree- said to me: “Look at the language, it’s
large voluntary contribution. But on the ment and temperature levels. We need much tighter.” But it gives a lot of lever-
assessed contribution, it’s really about to just keep focus, focus, focus and drive age to individual countries such as the
increasing the amount put in by the it through. ‘Group of Seven’ to take it through UN
Forum Island Countries. processes.
There is a commitment by our mem- On improving civil society engagement The Forum as a whole is concerned
ber states to shifting that balance, with with the Forum: about human rights issues, but wants
Forum Island Countries to have a much those conversations with Indonesia to
greater percentage of the whole. The Taylor: We started this three years ago continue, recognising that you’ve got
way we get to that has to be reviewed, with a troika of leaders and have been leadership in Indonesia that is much
to take it to the Forum Officials budget slowly building. I thought the conversa- more open about issues in Papua and
committee at the end of the year. There tion in Apia was very rich. Civil society West Papua. The electoral monitoring
is a deep commitment to what ownership groups had thought through the issues that we’ve been doing is a way of in-
means and that the primary, core budget that they wanted to raise. Now these teracting and developing a relationship
is owned by member states. The island have to be captured and taken forward. and an understanding of what’s going
countries have to take a greater owner- One way this can be done is through on there.
ship role of the organisation. the public consultation process [of the Civil society and many governments
Framework for Pacific Regionalism] that are very concerned about the self-
On the Blue Pacific agenda: will be opened up in October. This is the determination issue. The conversation
process that we’ve had for the last two between civil society and leaders was
Taylor: It’s a very interesting time in years. We suspended it for the first half that these issues of human rights and
the region, not the quiet place it was of this year so we could get a lot of the self-determination must be put through
before. We’ve got the vulnerabilities on implementation work done. United Nations processes.
climate issues which are very important, I’m hoping the youth councils will get
as well as issues around the oceans, the together and put in a submission to the On New Caledonia’s 2018 referendum
interest by big powers and also how we Specialist Sub-Committee on Regional- on self-determination:
are going to handle that interest. ism, as an issue that affects all countries.
On taking a united voice to Novem- There are also human rights issues for Taylor: We want to be involved in the
ber’s COP23 climate talks: many of our people of different sexual monitoring of that referendum. We in-
All countries are very supportive of orientation. We need an openness to dicated that to the Government of New
Fiji’s presidency of COP23. But being people. Human rights are not just about Caledonia when we were in Noumea
supportive is not enough - we’ve got to what happens to other people in other several weeks ago. We will pursue that
get everyone actively participating when countries. It’s in our own communities again. We’re also conscious that the
we get to COP23. and how we make life happier and more Melanesian Spearhead Group has sent
The leaders’ retreat showed much secure for people who are not hetero- a mission there. Our main concern is
greater clarity in terms of what they sexual. We need communities that are ensuring that Melanesian people are on
want to achieve in COP23. The Forum compassionate and make life better for the electoral roll. It’s really important
Secretariat has been tasked with trying everybody. that there is real participation in this
to coordinate the CROP [Council of Re- referendum, so we will go there to ensure
gional Organisations of the Pacific]. The On the Forum’s decision on West Papua: that getting people on to the roll is done.
debate here in Apia has brought them r nicmac3056@gmail.com

16 Islands Business, September 2017