Left to right: GGGI Senior Adviser Rene Karottki, Deputy Director-General Robert Dawson, Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Director Hyoeun Jenny Kim, Deputy Director-General Mattia Romani, Ambassador Filimoni Kau
SEOUL – March 26, 2014 – The Republic of Fiji became the 21st member of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) today after the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, signed the GGGI instrument of accession at the organization’s Seoul Headquarters. Fiji’s membership will be formally effective on April 25.
“We are pleased to welcome Fiji as a GGGI member,” said Robert Dawson, GGGI’s Deputy Director-General of Management and Administration, who was present at the signing ceremony (pictured above). “We look forward to close cooperation in the future. The Pacific Islands region is increasingly becoming a priority area for GGGI.”
GGGI is in the beginning stages of engaging a number of Pacific Island Countries (PICs) for green growth planning, including Kiribati, also a GGGI member country, and Vanuatu. Although there is not yet any arrangement for GGGI to cooperate with Fiji on specific programs , now that the country is a member, there is an increasing likelihood for a green growth partnership.
Fiji has embraced green growth in recent years. It established the Pacific Islands Development Forum, a multi-stakeholder forum which focuses on green growth in the region, and the Ministry of Strategy, Planning, National Development and Statistics have initiated a process towards a Green Growth Transformation Framework for Fiji, expected to be finalized later this year.
About GGGI
Based in Seoul, GGGI is a new intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a new model of economic growth known as “green growth.” The organization partners with countries to help them build economies that grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change. GGGI’s experts are already working with governments around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. To learn more, see www.gggi.org and visit us on Facebook and Twitter.