Brussels, 30/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - The effect of climate change on the small island states of the Pacific which are particularly vulnerable to the phenomenon, and their response to this challenge, identified by the countries of the region as the single greatest threat to the region, will be the focus of the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Majuro, Marshall Isles (3-5 September), to be attended by European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard. The forum will provide Hedegaard with an opportunity to hold bilateral talks with the Pacific heads of state and to consolidate the alliance with those countries in order to move forward in international climate talks on the global climate change agreement expected to be concluded in 2015 before taking effect in 2020. “We count on the Pacific region to help us bring all other major economies on board”, Hedegaard said on Friday 30 August. After the Pacific Islands Forum, the commissioner will go to the Philippines for talks with members of the government and the Asian Development Bank. (AN/transl.jl)