1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Member States of the Pacific Islands Forum with presence here at the United Nations, namely; Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and my own country, Fiji in addition to Kiribati.
2. Our Pacific family joins the chorus of voices from around the globe in paying tribute to her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  We join the international community in honouring a life of service and dedication to her people, to the Commonwealth and to the broader global community during seven decades of historic upheaval and change.
3. Indeed, her Majesty was the Head of State for five of our member states and the majority of our countries are members of the Commonwealth which she served. 
4. Her Majesty was much more than a Head of State or the Commonwealth for many in our Blue Pacific Continent.  Her frequent visits to the Pacific demonstrated a keen and lifelong interest in the development of our region, a personal affection for our diverse cultures and deep respect for its traditions.
5. For many of us, it is this personal connection which will be remembered most fondly.  I myself was inspired when, as young boy in my town of Labasa, Fiji, I joined my fellow schoolmates in welcoming her to our small town in the island of Vanua Levu in Fiji.  Her visits had a way of energising community action and development interventions that lasted many years after her departure.  The mark of true leadership.
6. The same was true of her visits to New Zealand, Australia, PNG, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and elsewhere across the region.
7. During her many visits to PIF countries, we have heard her Majesty reflect on UK and Pacific relations.  Her insights were always deeply felt, reflecting a keen understanding of the Pacific and her peoples and a profound sense of empathy for our region’s concerns.
8. This interest in the Pacific was reciprocated in abundance.  Many of our leaders have spoken of their close bonds with Queen Elizabeth.  The Chair of PIF and Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia V. Bainimarama has stated that Her Majesty’s “grace, courage and wisdom were a comfort to our people, even a world away”.  Accordingly, a number of Pacific leaders are currently travelling to pay their respects in person. 
9.  In Nauru, September 12 has been declared ‘Remembrance Day’ in honour of her Majesty.  In Papua New Guinea official government business has been halted to observe the mourning period.  In the Cook Islands, flags are flying at half-mast.   A Fijian soldier serving in the British Army, was one of the few to be chosen as a pallbearer for the late monarch on her last journey from Balmoral to Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh.
10.  As we pay tribute to the life and work of Queen Elizabeth II, we also offer our condolences to the Royal Family and wish King Charles III a long, peaceful rewarding reign as he embarks on a chapter filled with promise and great hope.
11. King Charles is an alumnus of Martyrs Boys High School in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, a speaker of ‘Tok Pisin’- one of our Pacific languages- and keen supporter of many environmental and climate adaptation works across the region through the Prince’s Trust and other avenues.  We are secure in the knowledge that the closeness between the British Crown and Blue Pacific will endure during his reign and beyond.
12.   It is this spirit of continuity and stability which underpinned Queen Elizabeth’s reign and serves as a foundation for enduring relations between the peoples of our region, the Pacific Islands Forum and the United Kingdom.
13.  It is fitting then that I quote our Secretary-General, Mr. Henry Puna to close my brief remarks in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II:
14. “Her lifelong commitment to the service of all her peoples across the globe was exemplary.  As the world’s longest serving monarch, her consummate dignity and character, her resolute grace and calm through the 70 years at the helm of global history, have set a standard of leadership and stability many can only aspire to.”
15. Vinaka vakalevu for a lifetime of service to Pacific and UK relations, your Majesty.

ENDS