Japan and the United Nations
Working Lunch between Foreign Minister HAYASHI and Permanent Representatives of Pacific Island Countries to the United Nations
February 24, 2023
On February 23, commencing at 1:20 p.m. (local time; February 24, 3:20 a.m. JST) for approximately 1 hour, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is visiting New York, U.S. to attend the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine and the Security Council Ministerial Debate, held a working lunch with the Permanent Representatives of Pacific Island countries to the United Nations. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Hayashi stated that he welcomed“The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent" announced by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) last year, and that Japan would respect the Pacific Island countries’ own agenda and continue to support the region’s sustainable development. The Permanent Representatives expressed gratitude to Japan’s support to Pacific Island countries, including through the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) process.
- Minister Hayashi stated that he would like to further strengthen close cooperation between Japan and Pacific Island countries in the United Nations, including with regard to the situation in Ukraine, and the Permanent Representatives of each country to the UN expressed their support for this.
- Minister Hayashi reiterated Japan’s position regarding the planned discharge of ALPS treated water and the countries stated that their understanding of this has deepened. They concurred that they will continue to communicate with each other.
- Minister Hayashi and the Permanent Representatives also had discussions on climate change-related sea level rise and other issues.