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President Mori Accepts Invitation to Join European Development Days

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): October 13, 2009 - As previously reported in Press Release #0809-01 entitled "President Mori's Address at Tällberg Catches European Commission's Attention", President Mori has received an invitation to go back to Sweden and talk on climate change issues from the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt.

President Mori has been invited to take part in the fourth edition of the European Development Days to be held in Stockholm on October 22-24, 2009. This is an annual policy forum and is Europe's platform for discussion and exchange of ideas with partner countries, global civil society and the development community. It is expected to have over 4,000 participants from over 125 countries and focus on the issues of developing countries in three major categories of citizenship and development, democracy and development and climate change.

In the invitation, President Barroso states that, "The world's climate looks set to continue changing at rates unprecedented in human history. We know that the poorest people and countries are the most likely to be hit the hardest by rising sea levels, desertification and natural disasters, yet they are often least responsible for the causes." He also states that, "we must also adapt to climate change and support the poorest people and countries in their efforts to do so."

He specifically asked for President Mori to be part of an intervention in the special plenary session on Climate Change during the meeting in Stockholm, which is only a few weeks before the 15^th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Because of the importance of this issue on climate change, and the fact that the European Commission will be paying for his trip to Sweden, President Mori has accepted this invitation. He will be joining a list of distinguished speakers including President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinaga, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, Prime Minister of Haiti, EC Vice-President, Margot Wallström, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Muta Maathai, Nobel Prize winner Mario Molina, and Jeremy Hobbs, Director of Oxfam International.

The President will be travelling with FSM Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S. Robert, and they will be accompanied by Mr. Jeem Lippwe of the UN Mission in New York and Mr. Larry Goddard as technical staff. Beyond speaking about the issue and impact of climate change in Micronesia, President Mori hopes to further develop FSM relations with the European Commission and explore FSM representation in Europe.