The Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting begins today with a meeting of the group of small island states.
The meeting, which includes leaders from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, Niue, Palau, and Marshall Islands, and will be chaired by the hosts, the Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna.
Megan Whelan reports from Rarotonga
"The leaders of the small islands states are expected to discuss the special needs of small islands states in climate financing. Tomorrow, leaders of the Pacific countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group will meet, where the Solomon Islands has indicated it will lobby to have Fiji re-included in the group, despite its suspension from the Forum. The theme of the week-long meeting is large ocean island states, and at Friday's leaders' retreat, climate change, progress on the Pacific Plan, regional security and transport, and gender issues will all be discussed. The Prime Ministers of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend the meeting, but are sending representatives."
