Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama took centre stage yesterday (25/6/22) and reiterated the need for more collective actions to develop resilient and sustainable economies through the full participation and acceptance of all countries and people. The Prime Minister said at the High-Level Dialogue on Global Development along the margins of the 14th Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit that we need to hear ideas, and those ideas need to be analysed, discussed and debated. “We learned long ago through South-South Cooperation that the established powers were not the only source of valuable support, nor necessarily always the most decisive. BRICS can be an important means of bringing the entire world’s intellectual, financial, and technical resources to bear on the drive to achieve global sustainable development.” On climate change, he said that Egypt, in its capacity as the next president for COP27, will make every effort to achieve consensus among all parties interested in international climate action.On the home front, Prime Minister Bainimarama said #Fiji is enacting far-reaching policies out of the belief that a better relationship with nature will mean a better future for all. He highlighted that India is focused on a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based maritime space, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations from the Indian ocean region to the Pacific Ocean. Egyptian President Hon. Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi, also shared similar sentiments and commented that Egypt appreciates the BRICS’ keenness to adopt a common vision on political and economic issues of concern to developing countries, particularly in terms of development cooperation and the support of development financing. While delivering his statement, Prime Minister Bainimarama said that the Pacific is facing intense and more frequent climate-induced natural disasters and as we emerge from the devastating economic wreckage of the pandemic, we are doing all we can with our limited resources to mitigate and adapt to climate impacts. “BRICS can form the basis of an important partnership for ensuring that no nation is left to face disease and the ravages of climate change alone and it has great potential as a force to make up ground on the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development,” he added. “As we build back better, we will need to tap into private sector finances, efficiency, and innovation to support our economic recoveries, and the world’s largest economies, such as those in BRICS and beyond, must seriously commit to climate financing. The BRICS partnership can help us get there.” The summit chair, President Xi Jinping highlighted that small islands developing states indeed face development challenges, adding that China is prepared to work with Fiji and the international community to intensify practical cooperation for small developing states. Indian Prime Minister Hon. Narendra Modi, in his contribution, highlighted India’s development partnership with Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and also from the Pacific to Caribbean. He said that we need to jointly build international consensus on promoting development. He remarked it is important that we put development front and center on the international agenda, deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build political consensus to ensure everyone values development and all countries pursue cooperation together. With the theme, “Foster a Global Development Partnership for the New Era to Jointly Implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the world leaders exchanged views on issues such as accelerating the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the South-South Cooperation, terrorism, climate change, nuclear disarmament, and the promotion of international and regional peace and security, social and economic development, among other important issues. While highlighting China’s key deliverables on global development, he said the country will collaborate with partners to support the setting up of Global Alliance for Poverty Reduction and Development (GAPRD) to promote sharing of best practices and international cooperation on poverty reduction. The Head of the #FijianGovernment joined 17 other world leaders in the virtual summit which was chaired by the President of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping.Additionally, China will also launch an International NGOs Network for Poverty Reduction Cooperation, and also carry out a series of dialogues on development experience sharing to help developing countries enhance capacity building for sustainable development, among other important commitments. Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping also discussed about commitments towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the aim to foster united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnerships, to usher in a new era for global development featuring balance, benefits shared by all, coordination, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation and common prosperity.
