At the XV Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) in Riohacha, Colombia, the youth leaders from the Pacific issued an emphatic warning regarding the future of Pacific youth, highlighting an urgent existential threat. These leaders echoed the La Guajira Declaration, underscoring that the region cannot sustain the loss of its talented young generation to foreign labor markets while local economies continue to lag and wages remain inadequate.
Representing the Pacific Youth Platform, Kuta Joseph Fonorito, a youth and community practitioner with Rotuman and Banaban heritage, delivered a compelling message. Fonorito expressed concern that the Pacific is being treated as a training ground for countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to attract young talent. He stressed the need for governments to improve job security, raise minimum wages, and create opportunities domestically to prevent the youth from seeking futures abroad.
The crisis is palpable. Youth unemployment across the Pacific has averaged 23% from 2020 to 2025, with rates reaching over 30% in places like the Solomon Islands and Kiribati. Pacific youths often earn as little as USD $2.20 per hour, starkly contrasting with wages in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. This wage disparity has driven over 45,000 Pacific workers to seek employment in Australia and New Zealand under temporary labor schemes over the past five years, contributing to a brain drain affecting local communities and industries.
However, efforts are underway to address these issues. Pacific youth practitioners, including Broderick Mervyn, Josaia Tokoni, and Rae Baenteiti, are at the forefront of initiatives to enhance youth work and advocate for policies aligned with national development. Together with Fonorito, these leaders are challenging the status quo of youth representation and demanding meaningful engagement with policy decisions regarding wages, employment, and migration.
A key message from the Pacific youth delegation is that migration should be rooted in rights, justice, and opportunity, not necessity. They are calling for reforms to ensure the right to migrate does not morph into an obligation. This includes increasing minimum wages, creating sustainable jobs in various sectors, and establishing education-to-employment pathways domestically.
Fonorito conveyed the urgency of the situation, cautioning that young people should not be viewed as commodities for export, as they are crucial to their nations’ futures. The leaders are urging governments to prioritize fair wages and opportunities to avert a deeper crisis.
The Pacific is at a critical juncture. The region must choose to invest in its youth or risk their future slipping away on outbound flights. This call to action is not merely a plea but a demand for immediate and decisive steps to secure the well-being and prosperity of Pacific youth.
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