Tonga's Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano attended the inaugural Asia Pacific Energy Forum (APEF) 2013, held in Vladivostok, Russian Federation, from May 27-30, where Asian and Pacific energy representatives talked about energy security and its sustainable use in the region.

APEF, attended by ministers of energy and representatives of 34 countries from the Asian and the Pacific regions, adopted the "Vladivostok Declaration" to guide stakeholders on regional cooperation from 2014-18.

Shun-ichi Murata, the Deputy Executive Secretary for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), reminded delegates that "the vision of energy security and its sustainable use for Asia and the Pacific as contained in the Vladivostok Declaration adopted today will guide all concerned stakeholders in the region to move towards a more energy secured region that will provide better security for the lives of our people, particularly our most vulnerable groups.

"To realize enhanced energy security and the future we want in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP is drawing attention to seven focus areas including access to energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy and environment, energy economics, trade and investment, and connectivity."

The Vision is for an Asia and the Pacific where:

- Sustainable energy for all is a reality

- Enhanced energy security is present from regional to

household levels

- An energy future of equity, diversification and access to all is

secured

- The share of cleaner energies in the overall energy mix is increased.

Following the Vladivostok Forum, the Republic of Korea offered to host the 22^nd World Energy Congress, to be organized by the World Energy Council and held in Daeque, Republic of Korea from October 13-17 this year.

Tonga has also offered to host the next Asia Pacific Energy Forum (APEF) not later than 2018.

Tonga

Tonga is about 96% reliant on diesel fuel for its electricity generation. The government has set a target that by 2020 some 50 percent of its electricity needs will be generated by renewable energy sources.

Meanwhile, the price of imported fuel and electricity in Tonga remains among the highest in the region.

The ten Pacific Islands countries represented at Vladivostok were: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Lord Tu'ivakano, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, was accompanied by Lady Joyce Robyn; 'Aholotu Palu, the Acting Chief Secretary and the Secretary to Cabinet; 'Inoke Vala, the director of the Tonga Energy Road Map (TERM); 'Akau'ola, advisor for TERM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Tatafu Moeaki, the Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Tourism, Labour and Foreign Affairs.