Pacific

The council heard pleas from ministers and ambassadors from Pacific states such as Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Niue and the Marshall Islands, and Caribbean countries like St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The island states want financial and technical assistance, to help avoid being washed away in the rising tides and powerful storms caused by global warming.

The president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, says the plight of smaller islands for too long has been at the bottom of the list of priorities of the United Nations and other global organisations.

But the report by the Asian Development Bank also shows the region is not doing enough to capitalise on the rapid expansion of its Asian neighbours.

Emma Veve is the Director of the ADB's Pacific Department and she says Pacific countries must do more to encourage innovation and generate wealth.

The World Health Organisation ranks eight Pacific island countries among the world's top 10 most obese nations.

Unless drastic measures are introduced the region is headed for disaster, says the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's director-general, Colin Tukuitonga.

"Small fragile health systems in the region just won't be able to cope," Dr Tukuitonga told AAP.

The Dialogue “Enhancing Macroeconomic Resilience to Natural Disasters in the Pacific Islands” will build on previous conferences held in Samoa and Vanuatu and recent IMF analytical work on this topic. It will bring together leading policymakers from 13 Pacific Island nations, as well as representatives from regional development partners, international financial organizations and think tanks.