Japanese Ambassador to Fiji Takuji Hanatani says this was a year of extremes for Fiji as in February Cyclone Winston hit Fiji leaving a trail of suffering and destruction.
While speaking at the reception to celebrate the 83rd birthday of the Emperor of Japan, Hanatani says recovery and reconstruction is a long process but Fiji has shown resilience against natural disasters.
Hanatani says Fiji has taken initiatives on several global issues as Fiji has assumed the Presidency of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, Fiji has also assumed the Presidency of COP23 and Fiji is also the Co-Chair of the first High Level UN Conference on Oceans and Seas which will be held in June 2017.
He says the selection of Fiji as President of the important international conferences shows that the world has confidence in Fiji’s strong leadership.
The ambassador says that Japan’s share in global carbon emission is 3.7% and adds that this clearly shows how energy efficient Japan is.
He says Japan has already contributed 1.5billion US dollars to the Green Climate Fund, becoming its second biggest contributor to date.
Meanwhile, the Emperor of Japan will turn 83 on the 23rd of this month.
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