 The Eneko Communiqué Contents from the 9th Micronesian Presidents' SummitPalikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): July 21, 2009 - At the end of the 9th Micronesian Presidents' Summit meeting last week in Majuro, the Presidents from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau, signed a Joint Communiqué, called the Eneko Communiqué, named after the reef island where the three heads of state held their Presidential Retreat. This document contains the relevant details and items for action that the President's agree upon at their Summit. The Communiqué opens with a brief introduction of the opening ceremony and then gets right into the details of the presentations. The information below details the contents of the Eneko Communiqué. Micronesia Center for a Sustainable Future The Presidents noted the resignation of former Palau President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., as Interim Secretary General, and applauded his efforts to date. The Presidents acknowledged the need to advance development efforts, and therefore welcomed the appointment of President Emanuel Mori of FSM as the new Secretary General of the Center. The Presidents directed their respective officials to develop a timeframe for the identification of the fund sources, the development of the structure, and physical location for the Center for discussion at the next meeting. Micronesia Challenge (MC) Further to their joint commitment to "effectively conserve at least 30% of the near-shore and 20% of terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020" under the MC, the Presidents agreed to further advocate and promote the MC at regional and international meetings. Noting the ongoing positive developments and implementation of the MC, the Presidents directed their appropriate staff to advance the MC in regional and international fora. The Presidents agreed on a need to review the various work programs (national and regional), with relevance to the implementation of the MC with a view to integrate and streamline functions. The Presidents directed staff to commence this exercise to present at the next meetings of the MPS and Micronesia Chief Executives' Summit. Airport Improvement Program (AIP) On December 12, 2005, the U.S. President signed H.R. 2115 (FAA Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act), Public Law No. 108-176, making Micronesian airports eligible for the AIP. Since the enactment of the Vision 100, the FAA Honolulu Airports District Office has been assisting Micronesian airports in providing assistance and guidance on the AIP program, which is currently being facilitated under a Continuing Resolution set to expire in September 2009. Given the importance of the matter, the Presidents agreed to direct their respective transportation officials to continue to work with the appropriate U.S. counterparts to ensure the timely passage of a Bill to secure continued eligibility of the AIP to 2012. Alternatively, the Presidents also directed their officials to work with the U.S. counterparts to ensure the timely adoption of a subsequent Continuing Resolution to carry eligibility of the program beyond the term of expiring Continuing Resolution. The President's also agreed to direct their respective Embassies based in the United States to continue to coordinate lobbying efforts with U.S. Congress to expedite passage of the Bill at the earliest opportunity. The Presidents also agreed to send a letter to the U.S. Government seeking support to extend AIP eligibility until 2012. Sasakawa Peace Foundation (Regional Coast Guard Project) The Presidents noted the on-going efforts by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) with respect to strengthening marine surveillance capacity through a sub-regional Coast Guard. Furthermore, the Presidents welcomed the SPF convening of the first meeting on the international framework consisting of representatives from the relevant ministries and agencies from the three Micronesian countries, supporting countries (U.S., Australia and Japan), organizations (Nippon foundation group), and academic experts by the end of 2009. SPC/Northern Regional Office On January 19, 2006, the FSM signed the "Host Agreement Between the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community for the Establishment of an SPC Regional Office in the FSM". The signing of the historical Agreement signifies SPC's strong commitment towards interest of the Pacific region, particularly for the northern cluster of the FSM, RMI, and Palau. The Presidents noted and welcomed the presentation of the SPC Northern Regional Office regarding its on-going development programs and efforts to better provide service delivery. The Presidents also were advised of the need for the host country (FSM) to secure a permanent office accommodation as envisioned under the Micronesia Village proposal. Reform of the PNI Fisheries Management The Presidents were updated on fisheries reforms efforts by the RMI in relation to the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) who are RMI, FSM, Palau, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, and PNG. The Presidents welcomed RMI's initiative to pursue a comprehensive fisheries study amongst PNA members and subsequently providing options for fisheries management and development for PNA members. The Presidents further recalled and reaffirmed the PNA Fisheries Ministerial Meeting in Niue in April 2009 agreement to establish the concept of a PNA Secretariat in Majuro. Regional and International Trade Related Issues During the 2007 MPS, the Presidents directed their trade officials to establish a Micronesian Trade Committee (MTC) for the purposes of discussing and cooperating on various trade-related issues, including promoting the FAS trade and the consideration of the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA), the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER), the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and the Compact Agreements with the U.S. Trade Ministers have subsequently established the MTC and thereafter have met twice. Trade Ministers have agreed to formalize the MTC structure as a long-term Secretariat, and have welcomed FSM's offer to act as Interim Secretariat until the next meeting in November 2009 in Pohnpei with the view to coordinate preparation of project proposals for external assistance. MTC Ministers agreed to coordinate efforts with respect to the applications of FSM and RMI for the Compensation Adjustment funding available under Section 108(b) of the Compact of Free Association, as amended. In this context, the Ministers further agreed to seek improvement to U.S. investment support for U.S. investors in the FAS. Mindful of the September 30, 2009 deadline, MTC Ministers recommend the FAS send a high-level delegation to Washington, D.C., to discuss with U.S. policy-makers the Compensation Adjustment funding as well as consultations on the Most Favored Nation clause of the Compact, as amended. MTC Ministers considered recent developments in on-going Trade Negotiations, including the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), PICTA and PICTA Trade in Services and the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus, and the Pacific Regional Economic Integration Program (PACREIP). The Presidents noted and supported the outcome of the MTC, and directed the Committee to continue its important work and to coordinate policy positions relating to Compact trade provisions with the U.S. Government and other regional trade agreements. The Pacific Plan The Pacific Plan is a development framework for the Pacific region endorsed by regional leaders in the 2005 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting held in Papua New Guinea in October 2005. The Plan aims to deliver short, medium, and long-term benefits to the people of the Pacific by proposing concrete development plans based on the four key pillars of (1) Economic Growth, (2) Sustainable Development, (3) Good Governance, and (4) Security. The Presidents reiterated their support for the Pacific Plan, and directed their respective authorities to jointly pursue Pacific Plan initiatives, with emphasis on climate change and energy, that are best implemented at the sub-regional level. College of Micronesia Treaty Extension College of Micronesia's Land Grant Status is provided for in the Compact of each FAS entity with the United States. COM Land Grant federal programs are operated through the "Treaty Among the Governments of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau Regarding College of Micronesia." The Treaty was first executed in September 1987, amended in May 1989, extended in August 1991, amended again in July 1992. In December 1992 the Treaty was further revised and set to expire in September 2001. This was later extended to September 2004, then to September 2006, and later to September 30, 2009. The Presidents agreed, subject to legislative approval, to renew the Treaty for two more years until September 30, 2011. The Presidents also directed their respective COM Board Members to review options for long term arrangements for COM. Hokkaido Declaration The Presidents reaffirmed their endorsement of the Hokkaido Declaration from the 5th PALM Summit in May 2009, and directed their respective officials to coordinate sub-regional efforts in maximizing the assistance provided under the Declaration. As part of these sub-regional efforts, the Presidents agreed on the need for their Governments to meet with the Government of Japan in Pohnpei to discuss issues of mutual concern regarding the Declaration. Energy Issues The Presidents reiterated their support of the regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which is aimed at complementing regional bulk purchasing efforts. To that end, the Presidents endorsed the advancement of the MOU. The Presidents also endorsed the Green Energy Micronesia (GEM) initiative proposed by the RMI as a regional approach to energy issues and directed officials to consult within two months and report back to the MPS. Jurisdictions already advanced in areas such as Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE) were encouraged to share information on accomplishments and knowledge among each other to ensure the orderly and gradual transition from fossil-based energy to RE, among others. Majuro Declaration on Climate Change The Presidents were updated on the status of UNFCCC talks and on upcoming high-level events relating to the Climate Change negotiations leading up to the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009. The Presidents endorsed and signed the Majuro Declaration on Climate Change declaring key issues regarding global, regional, sub-regional and bilateral action to address the adverse impacts of climate change. Micronesian Solidarity The Presidents acknowledged the significance of consolidating the support of the Micronesian countries in order to strengthen the position of the sub-region in regional and international forums and with development partners. In this regard, the three Micronesia nations agreed to extend the opportunity to other Micronesian countries to join the MPS. Policies for Enhanced Mitigation of Climate Change The Presidents endorsed recent submissions by FSM to the Montreal Protocol and the UNFCCC Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), which include: the proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol calling for the urgent collection and destruction of "banks" of ozone-depleting and climate-forcing gases; the proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol calling for the regulation of production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Protocol; and the submission to the AWG-LCA of the UNFCCC calling for a Program of Work on Opportunities for Rapid Climate Mitigation to complement Long-Term Climate Mitigation and Stabilization: Such opportunities include addressing short-lived climate forcers such as black carbon and tropospheric ozone as well as implementing technologies for biosequestration in order to draw down atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. USP Northern Campus The Presidents noted and endorsed RMI's initiative to host the University of the South Pacific Northern Campus. Next Meeting The 10th Micronesian Presidents' Summit will be hosted by the Republic of Palau in Palau at a time to be determined by the host. An electronic copy of the Eneko Communiqué will be available shortly on the FSMPIO website at www.fsmpio.fm. |