India-Pacific islands conference to be held in Fiji

New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) The External Affairs Ministry will host the 'India-Pacific Islands Sustainable Development Conference in Suva, Fiji, on May 25-26, it was announced on Friday.

The conference would be held under the framework of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (Fipic) with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as the key knowledge partner.

"Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh will host ministers from the 14 Pacific Island countries at the conference," the ministry said in a statement.

"Two Presidents and three Prime Ministers from Pacific island countries have confirmed their participation in the conference," it said, adding business leaders, academics, civil society members and youths from the region would also participate.

The two-day conference will focus on issues such as the blue economy, adaptation-mitigation practices for climate change, disaster preparedness, health, the India-initiated International Solar Alliance as well as finding practical solutions to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) implementation.

"The conference is expected to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience, and initiate public-private partnerships and collaborations for the benefit of all participating countries," the statement said.

Other key partners at the conference include ]industry organisations Ficci and CII, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF).

Fipic was formed in November 2014 to strengthen India's relationship with the Pacific island nations.

The first Fipic summit was held at the level of Heads of Government in November 2014 in Suva, Fiji, and the second one in August 2015 in Jaipur, India.

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