Asia-Pacific Business Forum 2019 to spotlight global goals, local opportunities

The role and responsibilities of business in sustainable development, with a focus on the sustainable solutions business can offer to meet the infrastructure and connectivity needs of rural and urban communities will be explored at the Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) 2019 next week.

Jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Papua New Guinea Investment and Promotion Authority, with the support of the Business Council of Papua New Guinea, the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the APBF will bring together an international contingent of policymakers, business leaders, academia and civil society.

The Forum, held as part of the PNG Investment Week, will showcase current and future business opportunities in the Pacific. Participants will have the opportunity to hear and meet key decision makers, business leaders and emerging entrepreneurs committed to sustainable development from around the region, as well as engage in business matchmaking events for key sustainable industries in the Pacific.

Note to Editors: You or your representatives are cordially invited to attend:
What: Asia Pacific Business Forum 2019
Where: APEC Haus, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
When: 20 – 21 June 2019

Key Speakers: Armida Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP;
Hon. James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea;
Yanning Wang, Assistant Corporate Secretary, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank;
Shasha Ridzam, Group Head, International Policies & Institutions, Air Asia;
Shaun Gilchrist, President, Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce & Industry;
Simon Lacy, Vice President, Huawei;
Zhonghang Li, Vice Chairman, Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce;and
Dr. George Lam, President, ESCAP Sustainable Business Network
For more information on this year’s Forum, including the detailed programme, list of speakers and business matchmaking opportunities, visit https://2019.apbf.online/

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International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers Commemorative Service

On 29th May 2019, UNIC Canberra in partnership with Australian Federal Police, Australian Defence Force and United Nations Association of Australia commemorated the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial, Anzac Parade in Canberra.

Despite the inclement weather, the event was graced by a strong turn-out as guests came to pay their respects to the men and women who have served in the name of peace.

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Statement on Sudan

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the violence and reports of the excessive use of force by security personnel on civilians, that have resulted in the deaths and injury of many. He condemns the use of force to disperse the protestors at the sit-in site and he is alarmed by reports that security forces have opened fire inside medical facilities.

The Secretary-General reminds the Transitional Military Council of its responsibility for the safety and security of the citizens of Sudan. He urges all parties to act with utmost restraint. This includes responsibility for upholding the human rights of all citizens, including the right to freedom of assembly and of expression. He also calls for unimpeded access to deliver essential care at the sit-in site and in hospitals where the wounded are treated. The Secretary-General urges the Sudanese authorities to facilitate an independent investigation in to the deaths and to hold those responsible accountable.

The Secretary-General urges the parties to pursue peaceful dialogue and to stay the course in the negotiations over the transfer of power to a civilian-led transitional authority, as required by the African Union. The United Nations is committed to working with the African Union in support of this process and stands ready to support the Sudanese stakeholders in their efforts to build lasting peace.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

New York, 3 June 2019

‘End fossil fuel subsidies, and stop using taxpayers money to destroy the world’: Guterres

“We need to tax pollution, not people”, and “end subsidies for fossil fuels,” Secretary-General António Guterres told the World Summit of the R20 Coalition on Tuesday, a UN-supported environmental organization, founded by former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The idea that subsidizing fossil fuels is a way to improve people’s lives could not be more wrong, said the UN chief in the Austrian capital, Vienna, because it means spending taxpayers’ money to “boost hurricanes, to spread droughts, to melt glaciers, to bleach corals: to destroy the world.” More

Significant Addition to the Pacific – First International Emergency Medical Team Announced in Fiji

Audio Interview

Fiji’s Emergency Medical team (FEMAT) is now ready for International Deployment becoming the first team in the Pacific accredited with this unique capability.

As a result, disaster and other medical emergency situations have gained significant assistance thanks to the partnership between the World Health Organisation and the governments of Fiji, Australia and New Zealand.

With 11 disasters and 26 outbreaks during 2018 in the Pacific alone, this mobile and self-sufficient team with its medical expertise, infrastructure and supplies will save lives in Fiji, the Pacific and elsewhere internationally.

UNIC Canberra spoke to Sean Casey, WHO Pacific Health Cluster Coordinator, who was in Vanuatu this week, and started by asking him about the nature of the teams.

Secretary-General’s Remarks During Joint Press Encounter with Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Enele Sosene Sopoaga Funafuti

17 May 2019

I want to express my very deep solidarity and admiration in relation to the people and the government of Tuvalu.

You are on the frontline of the war on climate change because climate change is striking in Tuvalu in a more dramatic way than anywhere else in the world.

I have enormous admiration for how you have decided to resist and you are implementing a programme of adaptation and resilience that is something that the whole world should admire and support. But it’s necessary that governments that are still causing the problems that affect Tuvalu understand that they need to change. They need to change their energy policies, their transportation policies, the way they manage their cities, the way they are using fossil fuels so that the impact of climate change on Tuvalu can be stopped. Climate change cannot be stopped in Tuvalu it has to be stopped in the rest of the world.

We will be fighting during our Summit in New York to make sure that all countries accept the commitment that we need to be globally carbon neutral by 2050 to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees.

At the same time, I want to express my deep solidarity and the total support from the United Nations to the government and to the people of Tuvalu in your determined efforts to preserve your country – physically, culturally, in the economic and social dimensions, as a rich component of the Pacific and the international community.

Thank you.