Samoas Head Of State To Address ‘Future Leaders Of The Pacific’ Conference APIA, Samoa (Talamua Online/PACNEWS, Aug. 28, 2014) — Youth leaders from 18 Pacific nations converge in Samoa this week for the second ‘Future Leaders of the Pacific’ conference. The conference will tackle issues crucial to the Small Island Pacific States. The youth delegates, will meet with over a dozen of the region’s top dignitaries, including the Head of State of Samoa, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Premier of Niue Toke Talagi, Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science Judith Garber, U.S. Ambassador to Fiji Frankie Reed, and former All Black legend, Michael Jones from Matson South Pacific. The conference, co-organized by the US Embassies in New Zealand and Samoa in partnership with the East-West Center in Hawaii, will be held 27-31 August, in the lead up to the Small Island Developing States conference in Apia. The delegates will spend three days discussing regional issues such as non-communicable diseases, gender equality, climate change and sustainable development in the Pacific. US Embassy Apia Chargé d’Affaires Peter Ganser said the US Embassies in Samoa and New Zealand were pleased to partner with the East-West Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program to offer this opportunity to Pacific youth for a second year. “The participants at this conference will one day be leaders of the Pacific. By encouraging open dialogue and discussion now, we better equip these dynamic young leaders to deal with future issues in the region,” Mr. Ganser said. The conference was an outcome of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the region for the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum. Each youth delegate for the conference was selected based on his or her leadership qualities, community involvement and future aspirations. The delegate to represent Samoa will be Felton Pavitt, Policy Officer of the Planning and Urban Management Division (PUMA) at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The conference itinerary includes themed breakout sessions, keynote speakers and plenary discussions with the aim of creating value-based partnerships to help youth leverage their country’s resources and address key issues.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 08:02:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015