The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) in Nuku’alofa was marked by a significant turnout of over 1,000 delegates, including activists, observers, and journalists from around the globe. The only member not represented was Kiribati, as President Taneti Maamau was unable to attend due to ongoing elections in his country.
In his opening remarks, Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa emphasized the need for immediate action, stating, “the time for talking is now over – we need to see action.” This declaration set a benchmark to evaluate the outcomes of the forum.
One of the critical outcomes was the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF). However, efforts to secure contributions from external partners have had mixed success. The European Union has yet to commit, with Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen indicating that they are “exploring opportunities” to contribute. A UK official also mentioned that the UK has committed £1.3 million ($F3.82 million) in technical assistance for the PRF’s setup but could not make a direct financial pledge until the facility is fully established.
New agenda items included health and education, introduced by the incoming chair, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni of Tonga. The primary action point in these areas from the communiqué was an agreement to develop a comprehensive health workforce strategy to enhance training and retention.
Despite the significance of these issues for the Pacific region, the addition of such topics to the leaders’ agenda appears to deviate from the intent of the 2013 Morauta review, which aimed to reserve this summit for collective political decision-making on critical issues.
In the years since 2015, when specific topics were prioritized, the leaders’ agenda has expanded, although some original issues, such as cervical cancer, have diminished in focus. The need for a commitment to redirect certain issues to appropriate forums continues to be essential, ensuring the leaders can concentrate on pivotal matters.
The combination of an increasingly broad agenda and geopolitical tensions has hindered timely progress on important issues. For instance, the completion of the Review of Regional Architecture was not met in time for this year’s discussions. Additionally, a concept for a “Zone of Peace,” initially proposed by Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, has not advanced significantly, now being referred to as the “Ocean of Peace,” with preparations for consideration in 2024.
As delays continue to accumulate, the Pacific Islands Forum’s ability to remain focused and achieve meaningful political outcomes is being compromised. The situation in West Papua exemplifies this, as it was only briefly noted in the communiqué, despite prior commitments. The leaders of the Cook Islands, Tonga, and Solomon Islands announced plans to ensure a visit to West Papua by special envoys ahead of the next meeting, but details remain undisclosed.