PIF Chair welcomes US return to Paris Agreement

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The Chair of the group of independent nations of the Pacific, the Pacific Islands Forum, has welcomed the re-entry of the United States into the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Within hours of his taking the oath as the 46th US President, Joe Biden issued an executive order for the US to return to the Paris Agreement.

Forum Chair Kausea Natano, who is Tuvalu’s prime minister, issued the following statement in response.

“As Forum Chair and Prime Minister of Tuvalu, I speak for our one Blue Pacific continent in welcoming the re-entry of the United States (US) to the Paris Agreement.

“I warmly congratulate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on behalf of our Pacific Islands Forum members, and note the executive order for the US to return to the Paris Agreement was a priority, delivered within hours of his taking the oath as the 46th US President.

“I look forward to continued and strengthened relationships between the peoples of the Pacific and the United States of America. Our Blue Pacific faces a climate change crisis that threatens our future prosperity and the move by President Biden and his administration to bring the US back to the Paris Agreement is warmly welcomed and appreciated.

“The announcement comes at a time when the world is faced with a multitude of hazards including COVID-19. We must use this positive development to inject greater urgency for the world to work collectively and have the courage and commitment to deliver on urgent climate action now, to bring us to a 1.5-degree Celsius development pathway.

“We look forward to working closely with President Biden and his Administration, with urgency and shared values for a safe and secure future for our great Blue Planet.”