Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs
Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Fletcher Tabuteau is travelling to Fiji today to represent New Zealand at the Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) from 7-9 May.
The FEMM is an annual meeting of finance ministers and senior officials from around the region to discuss a broad range of economic management and development issues in the Pacific.
"Building on my attendance at last year's FEMM, I am looking forward to continuing the discussion on common regional economic challenges," Mr Tabuteau said.
"The key theme of the meeting is 'Towards a Resilient and Sustainable Pacific'. In particular, discussions will focus on ways to build resilience to the effects of climate change and natural disasters, as well as how best to sustainably finance economic infrastructure across the region.
"This is an important forum for ensuring that regional initiatives are responsive to Pacific development needs," Mr Tabuteau said.
A resulting 'FEMM Action Plan' will be provided to Pacific Islands Forum leaders in advance of their next meeting, to be held in Tuvalu in August.
