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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 16 May 2023

Pacific Island leaders urge world to put aside differences in

combating impact of climate change

By JINTAMAS SAKSORN- vide the financial help they
CHAI had promised, which he
Associated Press said represents only a tiny
BANGKOK (AP) — Pacific portion of their prioritized
Island leaders criticized expenditures such as the
rich countries on Monday military.
for not doing enough to “We didn’t cause the prob-
control climate change lem, but now they’re going
despite being responsible to make money off of us
for much of the problem, by giving us a loan so we
and for making money off can pay back with inter-
of loans provided to vulner- est,” he told The Associated
able nations to mitigate the Press. “So now you have to
effects. Leaders and rep- adapt, but we’ll give you
resentatives from Pacific money and make money
Island nations demanded off of you by giving you
at a U.N. climate change that money to adapt. That
conference in Bangkok doesn’t make sense.”
that the world make more Whipps said Palau’s econo-
effort to put aside differ- my relies heavily on tourism,
ences in combating the which is greatly threatened
environmental impact, es- by the impact of climate
pecially as their countries change. The country’s
emerge from the econom- Palau President Strangle S. Whipps Jr. attends The 79th commission session of the Economic and economic security is also a
ic devastation of the CO- Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at U.N. regional office in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, major issue in Palau’s nego-
VID-19 pandemic. May 15, 2023. Associated Press tiations with the U.S. on the
Prime Minister Mark Brown “Compacts of Free Asso-
of the Cook Islands said the loans to help ease the fi- change,” he told The Asso- en leading industrialized ciation,” a broader agree-
finance model for combat- nancial burden on poorer ciated Press. nations in Japan, where he ment that will govern its
ting climate change giving countries. Brown said his country lost hopes to be able to speak relations with Washington
out loans to reduce the im- “All we’re doing is adding an estimated 41% of its GDP on a more equal footing for the next two decades.
pact is “not the way to go” debt to countries that have because of the pandemic, to the leaders than as “a Those ties grant the U.S.
for countries in his region come out of COVID with “a loss of a decade’s worth grateful recipient” to “be- unique military and other
with such small populations increased debt, and to me of prosperity.” He said he nevolent donors.” security rights in the islands
that produce “inconse- it is actually quite offensive will give this message to Palau President Surangel in return for substantial aid.
quential amounts of car- that we would be required leaders when he represents S. Whipps Jr. agreed that Whipps said the administra-
bon emissions” but suffer to borrow money to build his tiny South Pacific nation financing opportunities are tion of President Joe Biden
the most from the effects. resilience, and to borrow with a population of about “few and difficult,” and has promised approxi-
He encouraged a shift to- from the very countries 17,000 at a summit later this criticized wealthy countries mately $900 million over the
ward grants or interest-free that are causing climate week of the Group of Sev- for failing to commit to pro- 20-year period. q

U.N. migration agency elects American as 1st woman director

By JAMEY KEATEN second term were cloud- Oct. 1, the IOM said in a International Organization 72 years ago have been
Associated Press ed after Pope, with strong statement. for Migration was founded American. q
GENEVA (AP) — Amy Pope backing from the Biden The face-off was unusual in
of the United States el- administration, won the that Pope was looking to
bowed aside her European first round on a 98-67 vote. unseat her boss in a contest
boss Monday to land the After a lunch break, word between allies. The United
top job at the International emerged that Vitorino had States and Portugal are fel-
Organization for Migration, pulled out of the race. low NATO members.
winning her bid to become His withdrawal paved the “Ms. Pope’s election re-
the first woman to lead the way for Pope to win by ac- flects a broad endorse-
U.N. migration agency. clamation after member ment by member states of
Pope, 49, defeated IOM states decided to forgo her vision to keep people
Director General Antonio what was suddenly a for- at the heart of IOM’s mis-
Vitorino of Portugal, the Eu- mality: the IOM rules requir- sion, while implementing
ropean Union candidate, ing a two-thirds majority to key governance and bud-
who swept into the post win an election. get reforms to ensure IOM is
five years ago by trouncing Pope and Vitorino shook prepared to meet the chal-
a candidate put up by the hands and smiled as they lenges it faces,” U.S. Secre-
Trump administration for arrived together for the an- tary of State Antony Blinken Amy Pope from the U.S. is pictured during the elections
a job that was long been nouncement that she had said in a statement. process of the director general position for the ‘International
held by Americans. won. She is expected to Eight of the agency’s 10 Organization for Migration’ (IOM) in Geneva, Switzerland,
Monday, May 15, 2023.
Vitorino’s prospects for a start her five-year term on directors general since the Associated Press