Marshall Islands' Ambassador to the United States Gerald Zackios has been nominated for the post of Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Gerald Zackios Photo: Marshall Islands Journal
Five presidents from the Micronesia region have endorsed Mr Zackios to head the Fiji-based secretariat.
The leaders of Marshall Islands, Palau, Nauru, Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia joined together last week to make the nomination to the current Forum chair, Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano.
"We emphasise our regional understanding that it is the Micronesia sub-region's turn in rotation to submit a candidate to be the next Secretary General," they said.
The FSM Government said Mr Zackios was highly regarded and respected throughout the Micronesian sub-region as a world-class diplomat and negotiator.
The nomination of Mr Zackios for the Forum position follows the five presidents recommending to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that a new United Nations office for the Micronesia area be located in the Federated States of Micronesia
The current Secretary General is Dame Meg Taylor, whose second three-year term ends next year.