PM First To Meet COP26 Head

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama was the first world leader to meet with COP26 President Alok Sharma, at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow on the first day of the Climate Change summit.

The meeting is significant as the United Kingdom (UK) Government acknowledges some of the world’s negligible carbon emitters like Fiji are by far the worst affected by the climate crisis.

Mr Sharma is a prominent member of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Government.

Mr Sharma emphasised to Mr Bainimarama and the high-level delegation present that it was a privilege to meet with a former COP President.

Mr Bainimarama was accompanied by Attorney-General and Minister for Climate Change Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Yogesh Karan, Fiji’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to United Nations Satyendra Prasad, and Fiji’s High Commissioner to the UK Jitoko Tikolevu.

Mr Bainimarama was president of COP23, which took place in Bonn, Germany, in 2017.

After an exchange of pleasantries, Mr Sharma wanted to know some of the highlights of Mr Bainimarama’s presidency during COP23.

Perhaps the biggest one that stopped delegates and participants in their tracks was the presence of the Fijian double-hulled sailing canoe –– known as the “Drua.”

Among other things, it symbolised the COP23 message of solidarity: that we are all in the same canoe when it comes to climate change. 

The Talanoa Dialogue was also key. Mr Bainimarama assured and even offered Mr Sharma Fiji’s full support, if needed.

The closed-door discussions were generally centred around the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and the need to set and achieve targets by no later than 2030.

Both Mr Sharma and Mr Bainimarama called on the 100 plus world leaders present in Glasgow to put strong action plans to meet the global target.

The meeting took place well before other world leaders.  

Feedback: rosi.doviverata@fijisun.com.fj