Prime Minister Sitiven Rabuka addressed the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Tonga, emphasizing the importance of unity among Pacific nations. He declared that a collective Pacific voice is powerful, stating, “Our unity is our dignity and strength.”
During the Forum Leaders Plenary Session, Rabuka highlighted the existential security threats faced by the region, including the climate crisis, epidemics, terrorism, transnational organized crime, labor mobility challenges, economic fragility, and the decline of democracy amid competing geopolitical interests. He noted that the Pacific has changed significantly over the past two decades.
According to Rabuka, security today, as articulated in the Boe Declaration, encompasses more than military aspects; it includes human security, as well as economic, health, housing, law and order concerns, and the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels.
He expressed that, given the individual isolation and small size of Pacific nations, these challenges seem overwhelming, but there is hope in collective action. Rabuka drew parallels to family dynamics, stating that differing perspectives within families stem from care and concern for each other. He concluded by insisting that nothing should divide the Pacific nations, not even the threats posed by rising sea levels.