The Kingdom of Sweden is commited to fight climate change, Ms Isabella Lövin, Sweden's Minister of International Development Cooperation told a PSIDS – Kingdom of Sweden Ministerial meeting, in Nuku’alofa, on 10 February.

The first Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) meeting since the COP21 climate talks last year, was a strategic planning meeting, looking for a way forward after Paris.

The meeting was hosted and chaired by Tonga, and attended by three representatives of the other 11 members of PSIDS: the President of the Republic of Kiribati, HE Anote Tong; Hon Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Fiji; Ms Peseta Noumea Simi, the Chief Executive Officer for Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Independent State of Samoa.

The 12 countries members of the PSIDS which are also members of the United Nations are: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Ms Lövin, is the first Swedish Minister ever to visit the Pacific islands. She is a member of the Swedish Green Party which with the Swedish Social Democratic Party formed a coalition government.

The participation of the Swedish minister was unusual, but explained by the fact that Sweden is the biggest contributor to the Green Climate Fund, amounting to four billion Swedish Krona and that Ms Lövin had expressed her surprised when she found out in Paris how difficult it was for PSIDS to access the Green Climate Fund.

Sweden is campaigning to become a member of the United National Security Council and some viewed the visit as aiming to get the support of the PSIDS.

“Of course we are a candidate [to be a member of the UN Security Council],” explained Ms Lovin,  “but we are also truly committed to fighting climate change and also saving the ocean.”

The agenda on 10-11 February included a Sweden Presentation on its proposed engagement with the PSIDS, as well as Bilateral Meetings between the ministerial delegations and Sweden with Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga.

The PSIDS’s Strategic Plan has yet to be made public.

The UN Green Climate Fund GCF was established with a mission to advance the goal of keeping the temperature increase on our home planet below 2 degrees Celsius. The Fund is a global initiative to respond to climate change by investing into low-emission and climate-resilient development.

Ms Lövin believed that it is essential to bring the discussion forward on the issues related to security and climate change. “The real threat is sea level rising and the water supply will have salt in it so that people can’t drink it.

“We need to act now, and that is why I am here, we can’t just wait for these things to happen before we react. We have to start working to avoid the worst consequences of Climate change.”

She said it is heart breaking to know that sea level will be rising by one metre during this century. It will be very difficult to continue living in some of these islands. “It is too early to say that, there might be some technical solutions, otherwise the world will also need to welcome the people if they can’t stay on in their own country.”

During the four-days visit to Tonga by Ms Lövin and her nine members delegation they visited  some trial coastal protection projects in eastern Tongatapu. The projects valued TOP$1.6 million were funded by the European Union.

HE  Isabella Lövin and her delegation left Tonga on Friday, 12 February for Kiribati, via Fiji.