Pacific civil society organisations are pleased with the improved engagement they are being accorded by the Pacific Island Forum.
One aspect of this is a leaders breakfast with civil society heads first held last year in Papua New Guinea and again being proposed ahead of this year's Forum leaders meeting in Pohnpei on Thursday.
This also includes having the main outcomes of a Micronesia Civil Society Roundtable held yesterday being presented to the Forum Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor for inclusion in the leaders meeting.
These include issues around the need for attention and policy discussions on climate migration, West Papua, gender-based violence, disabilities, youth development and strengthening regionalism particular with Northern Pacific states and territories.
The Executive Director of the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs Emele Duituturanga says this increased engagement is an encouraging start towards having more issues and concerns of the people of the Pacific being heard by Forum leaders.
She spoke with Koroi Hawkins
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