27 August 2012: The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) announced the outcomes of the 21st Smaller Island States (SIS) Leaders Meeting, held in Raratonga, the Cook Islands, on 27 August 2012. The meeting took decisions on the SIS Development Fund, financing for climate change, tourism and trade.

On the SIS Development Fund, Leaders agreed to a programme-based approach for securing additional resources from development partners. On sustainable financing for climate change, Leaders welcomed a progress report on access to, and management of, climate change finance, as well as the development of a comprehensive methodology and approach to assessing the optimal mix of climate change financing modalities in a Forum Island Country (FIC) specific context, and encouraged its expeditious implementation.

SIS Leaders also acknowledged the efforts of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), and requested that it work with PIFS to seek funding from development partners to undertake a feasibility study on the establishment of an SIS Hospitality training centre in the Cook Islands.

On trade, the Leaders requested the Secretariat to continue working with SIS to ensure that their needs are fully reflected in the various trade negotiations, and stressed the importance of a development-oriented trade and investment arrangement with the US.

SIS members include the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. SIS meeting observers included French Polynesia, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna. [PIFS Press Release] [PIFS Press Release, Meeting Outcomes]