The Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Baron Waqa, urged Pacific countries to deepen their legal capacity as they step up engagement in international treaty processes at the inaugural Workshop on Treaty Law and Practice in the Pacific held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat today. Waqa described the gathering of regional officials, legal experts and partners as a timely opportunity to build the practical skills needed to negotiate, implement and domesticate binding international agreements that affect the Blue Pacific.
The workshop is co-hosted by the Government of Fiji, the Treaty Section of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, the Government of Austria and the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore. Participants were drawn from forum member states and partner organisations and will examine core aspects of treaty practice — from registration and depositary procedures under the UN Charter to implementation challenges posed by newly concluded and emerging instruments.
Waqa stressed that the international treaty landscape has expanded significantly in recent decades and now shapes many global issues, making technical legal know‑how essential for the Pacific. He highlighted the region’s historical contribution to international frameworks, citing the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (the Rarotonga Treaty), which the workshop notes will mark its 40th anniversary of entry into force in 2026. He also pointed to the recently concluded Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF Treaty) as a contemporary regional development that workshop sessions will unpack.
Key items on the workshop agenda include detailed discussion of the PRF Treaty and the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), both identified by organisers as instruments of particular relevance to Pacific members. Organisers said sessions will combine practical instruction on treaty procedures with case studies to help legal advisers and policy officials translate international obligations into national law and administrative practice.
Waqa framed the initiative as integral to the Forum’s longer‑term vision. “This is central to the vision articulated in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent — a vision grounded in regional unity, collective action, and the preservation of a rules‑based international order,” he said, warning that rising geopolitical tensions, rapid technological change and pressures on multilateralism have made coordinated legal capacity more important than ever. “No single Member can address these challenges alone. For our Blue Pacific, our strength lies in coordinated regional leadership, informed by shared priorities, grounded in the 2050 Strategy,” he added.
Describing the workshop as “timely and practical capacity building,” Waqa urged attendees to engage actively. He said the knowledge gained will strengthen national systems, help secure regional interests, and enhance the collective influence of Pacific countries on the global stage by ensuring that binding agreements are properly domesticated and upheld. Organisers expect the multi‑day programme to leave participants better equipped to negotiate future treaties and to manage the administrative and legal steps required after signature and ratification.
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