By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Marshall Islands President Hilda C. Heine, whose country is at the forefront of the battle against climate change, will keynote the 16th Conference on Island Sustainability.
The University of Guam-led conference, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Guam from April 7 to 12, is themed “Solutions for Our Future.”
With her Pacific homeland in jeopardy of being swallowed by seas rising around it, Heine will deliver her keynote remarks on April 10 on the main stage of CIS2025.
The UOG Conference on Island Sustainability, an annual event that began in 2010, is a gathering for researchers, policymakers, and community members dedicated to building a more sustainable future for island communities.
Heine, educator and second-time president of the Marshall Islands, has become a prominent voice on climate change, sustainable development, education, and cultural preservation and has captivated and enlightened audiences on the biggest stages of the world.
“Like most of our sister nations in the Pacific, we expect research, knowledge and understanding on how to address the pressing issues of climate change so that we can continue to call these islands our home – not in the nostalgic sense of a displaced person, but as a people actively developing and living in the country,” Heini said in an address to graduates of the University of the South Pacific in Marujo.
Heine joins a growing list of presenters and speakers appearing at CIS2025, the 16th installment of the conference, co-chaired by Anita Borja Enriquez, UOG president and Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero.
Austin Shelton, director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, the facilitators of the conference, said Heine will represent the critical and unique perspective of Micronesia in the quest for a global sustainable future.
“President Heine is a trailblazer and an inspiration for islanders and our allies everywhere. Her leadership in government and academia, along with her dedication to protect her people and island, will bring a keynote perspective that will resonate with all who have the opportunity to hear her," Shelton said.
On April 8, the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center will host the Graduate Student Research Symposium, preceding the Conference on Island Sustainability.
Graduate students from UOG, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will share progress on their PI-CASC supported research projects across a range of topics, including coral reef management, invasive species, native bird populations, and remote sensing technologies to aid natural resource management. These projects identify environmental needs and issues within Pacific island communities through the lens of climate adaptation and sustainability.
“This symposium is an opportunity to exchange locally relevant research to our islands' unique environmental issues, from wildfire damage to coastal inundation to species conservation," said Ryan Longman, PI-CASC University Consortium program director.
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