Pacific Islands Roundtable, Suva, Fiji, 2 March 2018 in support of ‘co-operative globalisation’ and climate change action

Continuing a rolling series of global roundtable discussions, under our banner of ‘co-operative globalisation’, The Global
Foundation will convene a Pacific Islands Roundtable discussion to be held in Suva, Fiji, on Friday 2 March, 2018.

The Fiji meeting will enable a small group, comprising a cross-section of invited contributors from business, civil society, universities, international institutions and governments, to meet with each other and also, with the leaders of the Anglican Communion, in particular, the Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace, Most Reverend Justin Welby and the Anglican Primates from the Pacific region, who will be visiting Fiji at that time.

Fiji led the global intergovernmental climate talks (COP 23) recently concluded in Germany. At that time, Archbishop Welby wrote, on behalf of the worldwide Anglican Communion, to the Prime Minister of Fiji, supporting action on climate change as an ‘urgent priority’, praying for ‘the renewing of our world’.

The purpose of the roundtable meeting will be to explore practical ways in which the parties might agree to collaborate,
over and above their respective actions to date, in helping to further address climate change related impacts on Pacific
Island states. Encouraging investment to address climate change is one of the 11 pillars serving the Foundation’s overall
objective in promoting ‘co-operative globalisation’, for the common good.

The Pacific Islands Roundtable meeting in Fiji will aim to seek ways in which the private and public sectors might be encouraged to increase their joint efforts and impact in investing to address climate change. Matters for discussion will include consideration of accelerating the renewable energy transition across the Pacific Islands and also, planning for climate and other impacts on Pacific fisheries, as a major supplier of seafood to the world.

The Pacific Islands Roundtable meeting follows on from the premier global meeting of the Global Foundation, its Rome Roundtable, that last met in January 2017 and will next convene in June 2018, at which progress reports on actions supporting ‘co-operative globalisation’ will be made by participants, representing a cross section of global society.

The Foundation has convened similar meetings on other critial issues around the world over the past 6 months, including its Sydney Roundtable and its Kuala Lumpur Roundtable. As with the upcoming meeting in Fiji, the outcomes from these meetings will also inform the next peak meeting in Rome.

Back story

While the Global Foundation is not itself a faith-based organisation, its Rome Roundtable, as with some of its other activities, is faith-enabled. A key feature in Rome has been the participation of Pope Francis and the most senior officials of the Vatican, together with leaders from the Anglican Communion and the Jewish faith, alongside global leaders from business, central banks, international institutions and civil society.

Last year in Rome, for example, Pope Francis specifically endorsed the work of the Global Foundation and encouraged concrete actions under our ‘co-operative globalisation’ framework.

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor, was invited to play a prominent role at the 2017 Rome Roundtable, where the global challenges and opportunities confronting the Pacific Islands were discussed and action was endorsed.

A consequence was that Pope Francis agreed to meet with leaders from the Pacific Islands at the Vatican in November 2017, in an act of solidarity and encouragement, as they were on their way to the global climate talks in Germany. At that meeting, Pope Francis spoke about ‘Earth without Borders’, calling for the need for a global outlook, international cooperation and solidarity, and a shared strategy, to address environmental problems, including climate change.

Organisational arrangements for the Pacific Islands Roundtable

For those taking part in the Pacific Islands Roundtable, there will also be options to participate in aspects of the program
of the Archbishop of Canterbury while he is in Fiji, from 3-5 March inclusive. The final program will be circulated ahead of
time.

As a not-for-profit organisation, the Global Foundation will be expecting participants in the Pacific Islands Roundtable to
meet their own costs of travel and accommodation. Corporate and institutional participants will be invited to make a
modest financial contribution towards the costs of staging the meeting.