The ninth annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM) wrapped up today in Auckland, New Zealand, bringing together Defence Ministers and representatives from various countries including 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 the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Mr. Baron Waqa, who attended as a special guest.
This year’s theme, “Collectively Looking to the Future: Our Region in 2050,” focused on critical regional security issues such as climate change, maritime security, and strategic competition. The discussions underscored the necessity for enhanced collaboration and a cohesive approach to tackle these intricate challenges, reaffirming the commitment of Pacific nations to ensure the security and resilience of the region.
Several significant outcomes emerged from the SPDMM, one of which was the establishment of the Pacific Response Group (PRG), aimed at improving disaster response capabilities throughout the Pacific. The ministers also focused on enhancing maritime security cooperation, agreeing to continue ship-riding collaboration and intelligence sharing to combat threats like illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and transnational crime.
Climate change was identified as a security issue and will remain as a standing agenda item for future SPDMM meetings, with ministers committing to strengthen regional capacity to handle climate-induced disasters.
The ministers welcomed the release of a report on non-traditional threats and discussed how South Pacific militaries are addressing these challenges, which include cyber threats, natural disasters, and health crises, in accordance with the Boe Declaration on Regional Security. They also expressed support for the establishment of a Pacific Defence Faith Network and committed to promoting the Women, Peace, and Security agenda to tackle recruitment and career progression challenges in Pacific militaries.
Additionally, the ministers endorsed the launch of a regional training framework to enhance military training coordination set for 2025 and praised Chile’s initiative to create the SPDMM Academic Cooperation Network.
Fiji’s delegation, led by Pio Tikoduadua, played a significant role in advancing talks on the Regional Training Framework, which will now incorporate defence civilian training streams for a well-rounded approach to building defence capabilities across the South Pacific.
The meeting concluded with a unified commitment to Pacific-led solutions and a plan to reconvene in Chile for the SPDMM in 2025.