The opening prayer was given by Father Francis Hezel and the welcoming remark was delivered by Pohnpei Gov. John Ehsa.
“I welcome all of you to our humble state and to the 1st Micronesia Chief Executives Conference which combines the Western Micronesia Chief Executives Conference and the Micronesia Presidents Summit. Pohnpei is deeply honored and proud to be the first host of this combined summit, bringing Micronesia together once again.”
The three principals gave opening remarks that shared one common theme: that their shared history began with attending Xavier High School in Chuuk and that their collaboration is based on this bond of friendship, which transcends their government positionsand allows them to work more closely together to solve their common challenges.
After the opening ceremony, the principals went to Nahlap Island Resort for a summit retreat where they went over their issues of concerns.
A few presentations were given at the retreat on these issues: Quarantine standardization, the Micronesia Challenge, bulk procurement of petroleu), extradition treaties and laws, labor and immigration, the airport improvement program, the Pacific Plan, the maritime surveillance operation, the Trans Pacific fiber optic cable project, regional and international trade related issues, public safety training/the Micronesia Police Academy, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Northern Regional Office, the Micronesian Village, the Micronesia Center for Sustainable Development, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Regional Coast Guard Project, reform of Parties to the Nauru Agreement fisheries management, a framework for economic cooperation with Japan and the post-Kyoto Protocol.
More detail on the issues will be available after the joint communiqué is signed by all principals.
