United States and China are pouring funds into Pacific island countries for climate change adaptation and mitigation purposes, as well as other development programs, officials from the two countries said Friday at the close of the 44th Pacific Islands Forum in Marshall Islands.
     U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said her government has set up a $20 million-24 million Pacific American Climate Fund to provide and monitor grants for climate change adaptation measures and will provide $4.5 million over the next five years for disaster preparedness for effective response in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Marshall Islands.
     Chinese Special Envoy for China-Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue Li Qiangmin said that on top of implementation of a more than $32.6 million International Cooperation Project for clean energy-related projects, China will provide another $400,000 this year to the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat, $250,000 to Pacific Islands Trade & Invest, and $150,000 to the Pacific Regional Environment Program.
     China and the United States, among the 13 dialogue partners of the Pacific Islands Forum, made their announcements as they expressed support for the forum's Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership that calls for global action against climate change, specifically by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making funds available to vulnerable countries for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
     The forum, chaired this year by the Republic of Marshall Islands, carried the theme "Marshalling the Pacific Response to the Climate Challenge."
     The forum, set up in 1971 to enhance cooperation among Pacific Ocean states, is consisted of Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Fiji has been suspended since 2009.
     The group claims they are the most vulnerable to global warming because of their low elevation from the sea.
     Aside from the United States and China, the island countries also got support for their Majuro Declaration from the European Union and its member states Britain, France and Italy, as well as Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.
     All are forum dialogue partners.
     Next year's forum will be held in Palau.

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