The session was preceded by a meeting of the Alliance of Small Island States focusing on climate change and was followed by a summit on this issue under the sponsorship of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
While in New York, Mori participated in a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Pacific islands heads of states and senior officials.
It was the first time that a U.S. Secretary of State has met with Pacific island leaders at the margins of the annual U.N. session.
Aside from Mori, the other Pacific island officials who participated in the meeting with Clinton were the presidents of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, the foreign ministers of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands as well as the ambassador of Samoa to the United Nations.
In her statement, Clinton expressed appreciation to the Pacific Small Island Developing States for their “extraordinary coordination of support at the United Nations” on a number of priority issues for the U.S.
Recognizing the growing vulnerability of the islands to the negative impact of the climate change, she conveyed the intention of the U.S. government “to do all we can do for the region.”
The U.S., she added, will also sympathetically consider the desirability of re-engaging the region by redeploying the USAID and the Peace Corps programs or expanding their presence in the Pacific islands.
For several years now, the Pacific island governments have sought access to the U.S.-funded Millennium Challenge Account but have encountered difficulties and setbacks.
So far, Vanuatu is the only Pacific island country receiving funding assistance from the account.
Clinton said the U.S. will look into the issue of “relaxing the requirement” or eligibility criteria for the funds, taking into consideration the special circumstance of the Pacific island countries.
Speaking in his capacity as chairman of the Pacific Small Island Developing States, President Marcus Stephen of Nauru called the meeting with Clinton an “overwhelming positive change [that] truly marks the beginning of a new era in U.S.-Pacific relations.”
Stephen went on to say that the Pacific island leaders are encouraged by statements made by Clinton earlier in Washington, D.C. before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs “regarding the need for a comprehensive American approach to the Pacific region and we are happy to see that you have followed your words with action.”
