When President Barack Obama comes to Hawaii next week to expound on his decision to expand the Papa­hanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, he will not do it before thousands of cheering conservationists attending the opening ceremonies of the World Conservation Congress at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

Instead, he will address a much smaller crowd at the East-West Center during a combined reception for the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and the East-West Center Sustainability Summit.

At least, that appears to be the plan.

East-West Center official Karen Knudsen said Friday that she couldn’t confirm whether the president will be speaking at the reception scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. She said she could only say that the center has been “in discussions” about the visit.

“The White House is going to have to issue the official release,” said Knudsen, the center’s Office of External Affairs director.

Obama announced the expansion, which would turn the remote ocean refuge around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands into the largest protected area in the world, nearly four times the size of California, on Thursday.

According to the White House, Obama will fly to Hawaii on Wednesday and “address leaders from the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and the World Conservation Congress” that night.

Trip to Midway Atoll

The opening ceremony for the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature is the next morning, but White House spokesman Keith Maley said the president would not be attending it.

Instead, the president will travel to Midway Atoll, within the Papahanau­mokuakea Monument, “to mark the significance of this monument designation and highlight firsthand how the threat of climate change makes protecting our public lands and waters more important than ever,” according to a news release.

The president will return to Honolulu and stay overnight Thursday before traveling to China, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and participate in his final G20 Leaders Summit.

A number of people had speculated that Obama would announce the monument’s expansion at the beginning of the 10-day IUCN conference, which is expected to draw more than 5,000 government dignitaries, scientists, environmentalists and business leaders from across the globe.

Organizers had secured the use of the Blaisdell Center for the opening ceremony with the expectation that the president might attend. The new venue was needed, officials said, because the massive glass walls at the main host site, the Hawai‘i Convention Center, don’t meet U.S. Secret Service security requirements.

Wednesday’s reception at the East-West Center was arranged for participants in the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and the East-West Center Sustainability Summit. The gatherings are among a handful of parallel conferences being held in advance of the IUCN congress.

Days of action

The Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, founded in 1980 by former Gov. George Ariyoshi and Prime Minister Ratu Kamisese Mara of Fiji, is made up of the 20 heads of government from the Pacific islands region and meets every three years or so.

The conference, which convenes Wednesday, not only includes the heads of independent island states such as Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands, but also the governors of Hawaii and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Gov. David Ige is expected to speak at the reception, according to his online calendar.

The East-West Center Sustainability Summit, scheduled for Monday through Thursday, is billed as a gathering of some of the world’s most influential philanthropists, conservationists and business and government leaders, many of whom also will attend the World Conservation Congress.

Co-sponsored by the East-West Center and China Global Philanthropy Institute, the summit has attracted 125 attendees, including superstar marine biologist Sylvia Earle, Julie Wrigley of Wrigley’s chewing gum fame, computer entrepreneur Susan Packard Orr, former Sanyo CEO Tomoyo Nonaka and biologist/author Edward O. Wilson, often called the father of biodiversity.

There will also be a number of Chinese philanthropists, businessmen and conservationists.

Carol Fox, director for special projects at the East-West Center, said she expects summit attendees to be prepared to build partnerships and take action to help address global environmental challenges.

She said the participants will draw on their experience in biodiversity, climate change, coastal protection, oceans and water and land management through “action networks” and “sustainable business models.”

“It’s a large group of influential people, pulled together to think about how we can move forward on a sustainable world,” Fox said. “When you put this many talented, capable, committed people together for two days to talk about action, you get action.”

Wang Zhenyao, president of the China Global Philanthropy Institute, said China’s emerging economic power creates opportunities for philanthropic partnerships that can make a big impact.

As for the possibility the president might attend, Fox said she’s excited. “I think it’s great, fantastic,” she said.

According to the White House, Obama will travel to Stateline, Nev., on Wednesday morning to deliver remarks at the 20th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit, where he will “highlight his commitment to protecting the environment and addressing climate change.” From there he will travel to Honolulu.

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Star-Advertiser reporter Sophie Cocke contributed to this report.