The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) was held amid global attention, featuring over 1,000 delegates, activists, observers, and journalists who gathered in Nuku’alofa. President Taneti Maamau of Kiribati was the only member absent due to ongoing elections in his country.
In his opening remarks, Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa emphasized the urgency for action, stating, “the time for talking is now over.” This call to action set the stage to evaluate the meeting’s outcomes.
One prominent agenda item was the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), which aims to bolster regional resilience. However, efforts to secure contributions from external partners have faced challenges. For instance, the European Union has been hesitant, with EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, indicating that they are still exploring potential contributions. Meanwhile, the UK’s commitment includes £1.3 million in technical assistance but stops short of a direct pledge until the PRF is fully established.
The meeting also brought new items to the Forum’s agenda, notably health and education, proposed by incoming chair Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni of Tonga. A key decision in these areas involved developing a region-wide health workforce strategy focused on training and retention initiatives for Pacific Health Ministers.
While these topics are undoubtedly significant, there are concerns that adding them to the leaders’ agenda could detract from more pressing political matters. Historical context shows that certain topics, such as cervical cancer, have previously fallen off the agenda as the focus evolved.
The leaders had previously agreed to streamline the agenda for significant political issues, but the recent broadening could hinder timely progress on critical topics like the Review of Regional Architecture requested last year, which has not been completed for this year’s consideration.
Additionally, the leaders discussed a concept titled “Zone of Peace,” introduced by Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, which has now been rebranded as “Ocean of Peace.” The Secretariat has been tasked with drafting a concept for the next meeting in Solomon Islands.
These delays and extended timelines raise questions about the Pacific Islands Forum’s effectiveness in maintaining focus and achieving political results. Notably, the situation in West Papua received minimal attention in this year’s communiqué, merely noting the report from special envoys.
At the meeting’s conclusion, leaders from Cook Islands, Tonga, and Solomon Islands mentioned plans to facilitate a visit to West Papua by the Forum’s special envoys before the next gathering, although specifics were not provided.