4 March 2011: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged UN support to help Pacific Island States reduce climate risks and respond to climate impacts, in a message to the High Level Regional Conference on climate change in the Pacific, held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on 4 March 2011.

He pointed to the need to press for deeper emission cuts and to obtain resources for adaptation and capacity-building efforts in international climate change negotiations, and welcomed efforts by some Pacific Island States to strengthen resilience and reduce disaster risk. The Conference was organized by the European Commission and supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), and provided an opportunity to Pacific Countries and Territories, EU partners and Pacific regional organizations to take forward their joint climate change agenda. [UN Press Release] [Ban’s Message] [Conference Website]