Statement by MoS, Shri Pabitra Margherita at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Dialogue Partners Session

Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister of Tonga, Hon'ble Siaosi Sovaleni,
Hon'ble Heads of Delegations of PIF Members and Dialogue Partners,
Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Namaste

Mālō e lelei

Good afternoon.

It is an honor for me to represent the Government of Indiaat this meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders being held in this beautiful country of Tonga. I bring to our friends in the Pacific the warmest greetings from the Government and the people of India and thank the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga for the excellent arrangements and the warm hospitality accorded to me and my delegation.

2. India's multifaceted engagement with the Blue Pacific Continent is anchored in our Act East Policy and is strengthened both bilaterally and through different mechanisms such as the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). The following points bring out India's approach and the significance that India attaches to this relationship.

i. India's approach to the Blue Pacific Continent is based on our ancient philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" or the 'World is one Family'.

ii. Our bilateral development partnership in the form of grant-in-aid projects worth about USD 3 million per annum are demand-driven and have had high impact in the 14 Pacific partner countries.

iii. At the 3rd FIPIC Summit held in Papua New Guinea last year, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced a 12 Point Action Plan which include the setting up of a 100-bedded regional Super-specialty Hospital in Suva, Fiji, a Regional IT and Cyber Security Training Hub in Papua New Guinea, 1000 Scholarships over the next five years, supply of Dialysis Units, and Generic Medicine Pharmacy outlets.

iv. Our Pacific friends have benefited from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund which supports demand-driven sustainable development projects such as the Parametric Microinsurance project in Fiji, Construction of water cistern in Tuvalu and solarisation of the Langafonua building of Tonga's National Council for Women which will be commissioned tomorrow.

v. We hosted the 3rd Voice of the Global South Summit (VOGSS) a few days back with the overarching theme of "An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future". This summit was joined by more than 120 countries including many PIF members and provided valuable inputs.

vi. India shares your concern regarding the threat posed by climate change and rising sea level. India has successfully reduced the emission intensity vis-à-vis its GDP by 33% between 2005 and 2019, thus achieving the initial Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) target for 2030, 11 years ahead of the scheduled time.

vii. India leads a number of global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Green Grids Initiative - One Sun, One World, One Grid, the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Global Biofuel Alliance which benefit our Pacific partners.

viii. India is committed to responding to the vulnerabilities caused by natural hazards in the Pacific.

3. As part of our continuous solidarity with our Pacific Partner Countries and the Pacific Islands Forum, I am pleased to announce that Government of India will undertake one Quick Impact Project or QIP of each country's choice worth USD 50,000 in each of the 14 Pacific Island Countries. We will be happy to receive proposals in this regard from the respective countries.

4. To conclude, I reaffirm India's strong commitment to work closely with our Pacific partner Countries and the Pacific Islands Forum, as the foremost regional mechanism, in line with the priorities outlined in the 2050 Strategy to help build a stronger, more resilient and prosperous Blue Pacific Continent.

Thank you.

Mālō 'aupito

Dhanyavad

Tonga
August 28, 2024