The ninth annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM) wrapped up today in Auckland, New Zealand, gathering Defence Ministers and representatives from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. The meeting also included observers from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with Mr. Baron Waqa, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, who attended as a special guest.
This year’s theme, “Collectively Looking to the Future: Our Region in 2050,” highlighted pressing regional security issues such as climate change, maritime security, and strategic competition. Participants underscored the importance of enhanced collaboration and a unified strategy to address these multifaceted challenges, reinforcing Pacific nations’ commitment to safeguarding the region’s security and resilience.
Several significant outcomes were endorsed at the SPDMM, including the establishment of the Pacific Response Group (PRG), aimed at improving disaster response capabilities across the Pacific. The meeting also focused on maritime security cooperation to strengthen domain awareness and agreed on continued ship-riding initiatives and intelligence sharing to combat threats like illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and transnational crime.
Climate change was recognized as a security issue and established as a permanent agenda item for future SPDMM meetings, with ministers affirming their dedication to enhancing regional response capacities for climate-induced disasters.
Delegates welcomed the release of a report on Non-traditional threats, emphasizing how South Pacific militaries are addressing various non-traditional security challenges, including cyber threats, natural disasters, and health crises, consistent with the Boe Declaration on Regional Security. Additionally, there was a commitment to forming the Pacific Defence Faith Network to promote the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and tackle recruitment and career advancement issues within Pacific militaries.
The ministers also endorsed the initiation of a regional training framework aimed at improving military training coordination by 2025, and commended Chile’s efforts to develop the SPDMM Academic Cooperation Network.
Fiji’s delegation, led by Pio Tikoduadua, played a pivotal role in promoting the Regional Training Framework, which will now incorporate defence civilian training streams for a holistic approach to building defense capability throughout the South Pacific.
The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to Pacific-led solutions and a promise to reconvene in Chile for the SPDMM 2025.