Masire-Mwamba meets President of Kiribati

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba met with Kiribati President Anote Tong during her visit to the country from 19 to 21 July 2011.

Mrs Masire-Mwamba and Mr Tong, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed how Kiribati could benefit from the Commonwealth’s technical assistance programmes. They also discussed ways to mitigate the impact of climate change on the people of Kiribati – which has a minimal carbon footprint but is one of the worst affected countries.

Talks also focused on the Eminent Persons Group (EPG), which has been mandated by Commonwealth leaders to sharpen the impact, strengthen the networks, and raise the profile of the Commonwealth; and preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia, in October 2011.

Mr Tong said the Commonwealth was delivering on its mandates, and he particularly valued the friendship and dialogue that the association encourages among its members.

Mrs Masire-Mwamba also held talks with EPG member, Sir Ieremia Tabai, a Member of Parliament and former Kiribati president. Their discussions centred on health, migration, capacity-building issues, and the EPG.