25-280220: The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Disaster Management and Meteorological Services, Hon. Jone Usamate, led Fiji’s delegation to the International Association of Marine AIDS to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) Diplomatic Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Minister Usamate was amongst the few speakers who delivered remarks at the opening of the Conference. He highlighted the significance of IALA to Fiji as a coastal and maritime community, as it relates to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also underscored IALA’s importance to Fiji’s climate change strategies and how it would contribute to Fiji’s maritime transport sector and in achieving the sustainable development goals. On the margins of the Conference, Minister Usamate had a bilateral meeting with Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport Secretary-General, Dato’ Isham Ishak. Recalling the longstanding relations between Fiji and Malaysia, the Minister expressed Fiji’s desire to deepen engagements with Malaysia in the maritime transport sector, including through human capacity building. Both sides agreed to draft an MOU to cover the areas of cooperation.