15 November 2017: Francois Martel, Secretary General, Pacific Islands Development Forum, and Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati, signed the Lofoten Declaration on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. Marking the signing, Martel highlighted his mandate from the Pacific Leaders “to continue to fight for this ambitious and urgent work to reduce emissions globally.”

The Lofoten Declaration “affirms that it is the urgent responsibility and moral obligation of wealthy fossil fuel producers to lead in putting an end to fossil fuel development and to manage the decline of existing production.” The Declaration was written in August 2017, at a meeting in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.

The Pacific Islands Development Forum is the first intergovernmental organization to sign the Declaration, which has been signed by approximately 500 nongovernmental organizations globally. Signatories include IISD, Greenpeace – International, Oil Change International, and Global Witness. [Lofoten Declaration] [Press Release][SDG Knowledge Hub Guest Article on Lofoten Declaration]