PCRIC Meets New PIFS Secretary General

During the week of FEMM, the PCRIC team paid a courtesy visit to the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Mr. Baron Waqa.

The PCRIC CEO, Mr. Aholotu Palu, congratulated Mr. Waqa on his new appointment and thanked the Forum Secretariat for the continuous support provided to PCRIC’s activities. Mr. Palu highlighted that PCRIC was established as an initiative of Pacific Leaders to build the region’s resilience against natural disasters, and was a leading contributor to the advance of disaster risk finance dialogue in the region.

Mr. Waqa acknowledged the supportive work being carried out by PCRIC in the DRF arena, and applauded its ongoing endeavours to raise awareness of the options available to help build regional resilience to the impact of natural and climate disasters.

The Secretary General also noted the importance of PCRIC taking the opportunity provided by key high-level meetings such as FEMM and the upcoming 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga, to continue showcasing its services to the leadership. This was a significant step in the process of garnering political support for PCRIC’s work.

PCRIC provides an alternative to Pacific countries to be finance-ready when a catastrophic natural disaster strikes. The PCRIC team continues to support members in the lead up to the Forum Economic Ministers meeting.