Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa’s call to have a discussion on the selection of Baron Waqa as the incoming Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General was reasonable, said Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.

While the issue was discussed, it has now been confirmed that the former Nauru president will be replacing Henry Puna next year. This was one of the outcomes of the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in the Cook Islands.

Mr. Rabuka said Fiame’s move for the issue to be discussed by the leaders during their retreat last week is reasonable.

“Yes, it is very very reasonable, because we have formulated it but we have not put that into the standard operating procedures,” he said.

The Fiji Prime Minister also spoke on the selection criteria of the Secretary-General, saying it should not solely focus on merit, but also on a nation's submission.

“Merit on who’s scale. We’re looking at nations making submissions and recommendations rather than personal,” he said. “So, who are we to say that so and so is not worthy does not merit selection if his country has nominated him.”

Expressing disappointment at Nauru’s President David Adeang’s failure to attend the leaders' retreat in Aitutaki, Mr. Rabuka said the Nauru President should have attended to state his country's position. 

Adeang walked out of the Forum Leaders Plenary Wednesday (Thursday Apia time) when the nomination of Baron Waqa as the next Secretary-General was on the agenda for the leaders' deliberation.

In an interview with journalists in Aitutaki, on their way to the leaders' retreat, Mr. Rabuka said he was hoping President Adeang would attend the Retreat to state his government’s position.

“And I’m disappointed that they’re not here because I was hoping they would be able to present their case for the selection of the successor, to the Secretary-General,” he said.

As part of the outcomes of the 52nd Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, regional leaders also welcomed the implementation plan for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific - their blue-print for Pacific-led development

Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said the implementation plan articulates the specific goals, outcomes and regional collective actions across the thematic areas of our 2050 strategy.

"We also endorsed the Pacific Partnerships for Prosperity as a political prioritisation process to mobilise resources and to empower our specific people to bring about transformational change through national and regional development," he said.

On climate change, the leaders committed to implementing the Paris Agreement and endorsed the creation of a Pacific Resilience Facility, which will be a "landmark" Pacific lead and managed resilience finance facility.

"We will be now looking to take this particular facility out to potential donors and contributors to this fund," Mr. Brown said.

The leaders also endorsed the regional Framework on climate mobility, which Mr. Brown said "is a Pacific Partnerships for Prosperity priority", noting that more than 50,000 Pacific people are displaced every year due to climate and disaster-related events.

There were discussions also on the Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge with leaders expressing concern about the exercise and noting the ongoing monitoring of the discharge by Japan and the IAEA.

On keeping the region nuclear-free, leaders promoted the full compliance of the Rarotonga Treaty by all members.

The Forum leaders emphasised that securing legal certainty of the Blue Pacific in the face of the threats of climate change, the declaration on the continuity of statehood and the protection of persons affected by climate change related to sea level rise, as well as looked at revitalising the Pacific leaders gender equality declaration.