Kiribati president receives Fiji backing for Peace Prize
Fiji's nomination of Kiribati President, Anote Tong, as a candidate to receive the Nobel Peace Prize has been welcomed by the committee lobbying on Mr Tong's behalf.
Transcript
Fiji's nomination of Kiribati President, Anote Tong, as a candidate to receive the Nobel Peace Prize has been welcomed by the committee lobbying on Mr Tong's behalf.
A letter of support for President Tong was sent to the Tong Nobel Committee on behalf of Fiji's Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama.
It said President Tong's personal commitment to advocating a stronger international response to the challenges of climate change is exemplary and deserving of recognition.
A spokesperson for the Tong Nobel Committee, Phil Glendenning, told Leilani Momoisea that the support from Fiji is significant.
PHIL GLENDENNING: President Tong has for many years been an eloquent and articulate voice about the impact of climate change upon all of the world's community and of the need for there to be some decisive action. Because it is the greatest threat that the world faces to peace and security. This endorsement is further evidence that this is a cause that needs support, and needs world recognition, particularly in the lead-in to Paris next year.
LEILANI MOMOISEA: And how is that going for Mr Tong? Are you feeling like there is strong support behind him?
PG: Certainly there is. There's significant political leaders and community leaders, former politicians, church leaders from Europe, from North American, from Africa, from the Pacific, who have joined in support that includes ex Prime-Minister and leaders of all different sizes and calibre. So there's quite a universal movement of support here, and it's in recognition of President Tongs leadership but also of the importance of the cause that he articulates. We should note that at the recent conference in Samoa that President Tong was able to bring together a group of other atoll nations, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Nauru with Kiribati to form a coalition of atoll nations to work together in the lead up to the conference in Paris in December next year in support of a binding legal agreement. And this type of leadership of bringing together very simple countries that are at the front line if you like, the front-line most vulnerable states, to come together to take joint action and to appeal to the world's conscience and interests to put climate change very clearly on the agenda. Whether it's in the arid, drought ridden countries of Africa, where the arable land is creeping away, or whether it's in countries like Kiribati, Tuvalu where rising sea-level is a threat to food security, to water supply and the people's safety. If ever there was an issue that needs to be promoted in the cause of world peace, it is climate change and there's no more articulate or better spokesperson about it than Anote Tong of Kiribati.
LM: Is the Fiji Prime Minister the first Pacific leader to officially put their support behind Mr Tong?
PG: I think the first current sitting leader, that would be true. Certainly we've had former Prime Ministers of Australia, Premiers of State governments here, former ambassadors in European countries, African leaders have come on board. It's a very welcome position that's been taken by the Prime Minister of Fiji, and he's to be congratulated for it.
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