FSM: Pohnpei Gears Up To Host Tuna Commission ff

December will find the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Pohnpei State stepping into the spotlight on the world stage as hosts to both the first meeting of the Tuna Commission and the last Preparatory Conference (PrepCon) of the Commission.

Aside from agreeing to pool efforts to prepare for the landmark event, FSM Pres. Joseph J. Urusemal and Pohnpei Gov. Johnny P. David have also agreed to reactivate a joint task force to oversee the construction of the Commission headquarters.

In a June 15 letter, Pres. Urusemal informed Gov. David that the back-to-back meetings would run from December 6 to 10 and involve “over 30 countries and organizations,” including the 13 nations that have ratified the Convention establishing the Tuna Commission.

The President said the last Preparatory Conference in Bali, Indonesia, in April agreed to hold the meetings one after the other, the final PrepCon on December 6 and 7 and the Commission's first meeting on the 9th and 10th, with the 8th devoted to preparing the recommendations to be submitted to the Commission. “It was also decided and in accordance with normal international practices that the host country of the Commission headquarters hosts the first meeting of the new Commission,” the President said.

The governments behind the Tuna Commission, created to address concerns about protecting the world's endangered tuna fisheries, have chosen the FSM to host the international body's headquarters. Highlighting the importance of the Commission's debut, the President said the event was expected to draw “ministerial level representation from some of the countries” party to its creation.

Thus, he stressed, aside from the importance of doing a good job in hosting the twin meetings, “to show everyone involved in the Tuna Commission how committed we are and to give more weight to the PrepCon recommendation to the Commission that the FSM hosts the headquarters, it would be (in) our interest to show that we are actually doing something in preparation for the setting up of the Commission Office here. We do not want to leave any doubt in anyone's mind on how committed we are,” he added.

The President informed Gov. David that a team from the government of the People's Republic of China, which has committed financial support for the construction of the Commission headquarters, “will be coming to Pohnpei soon to finalize the paperwork on the project and actual construction should follow immediately.”

Replying to the President's letter, Gov. David said he agreed “that our efforts henceforth relating to the Tuna Commission should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that we can host the Commission in the FSM in Pohnpei. We are ready to work with your office and the task force in the FSM's preparation for the Preparatory Conference and the construction of the headquarters of the Tuna Commission,” he said, as he designated Lt. Gov. Jack E Yakana to represent Pohnpei to the task force.