Baron Waqa welcomed after been appointed as the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum [Source: forumsec]

Baron Waqa has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, replacing Henry Puna.

He began his tenure at the Secretariat yesterday.

A former PIF Leader and Chair in his capacity as President of, Secretary General Waqa becomes the first Nauruan national to assume the Office of the Secretary General.

Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Brown says that it is an honour to have Waqa at the helm of the PIF Secretariat.

Brown says all the Leaders are looking forward to working with him to progress the priorities of our region in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, for the benefit of the Pacific peoples.

Brown says PIF’s vision is for a resilient region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity that ensures all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy and productive lives.