Fiji to chair ADB regional meeting

Fiji will chair the 27th governors' meeting of the Pacific developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) when the ADB holds its next annual gathering in Japan next year, the Fijian government said Tuesday.

The position of chair will be assumed by Fiji's Attorney-General and Minister for Finance Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, according to the Department of Information.

Sayed-Khaiyum, who is currently attending the 26th governors' meeting of the Pacific developing member countries of the ADB in Frankfurt, Germany, led a discussion by finance ministers of the ADB's Pacific member countries on how they can gain better access to finance to build their resilience to extreme weather events and rising sea levels caused by climate change.

The Fijian minister underscored the need for climate financing to be mainstreamed into all development financing including national budgets. Since extreme weather events are likely to be more frequent and more intense, it is vital that all future infrastructure investments in the region be climate resilient, he said.

"There was general consensus among the Pacific delegates that Fiji's proposal was the appropriate way forward," said the Department of Information.

Source: XINHUA