The next Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Baron Waqa says, “The Forum is still developing in its form, regionalism and all these plans to strengthen and unite members and I think what’s going on at the moment is on the right track, but I think I will need to work harder in pushing for more solidarity.”
Waqa told Islands Business after the Special Leaders Retreat this month, that the Micronesian members of the Forum had, “made their point clear. And the action that they have taken after a year and a half, I think it’s something that the Forum members were sensitive enough to address and consider, so it’s good that everyone is working closely together to reunify all members. Micronesia is a good team player, as they have demonstrated.”
Waqa’s appointment came after Pacific leaders prayed together, ate together and spent a full day in retreat, which ended in Kiribati’s full return to the Pacific Islands Forum and a much larger role for its Micronesian members.
Australia and New Zealand have pledged up to NZ$4 million to operationalise the changes under the so-called Suva Agreement, which will also see a sub-regional office established in Kiribati. All Forum members will contribute to ongoing implementation from 2026.
Palau will be the new home of the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner and the Forum’s current Deputy Secretary General, Filimon Manoni will take up the that role.
The Secretary General’s position will be rotated amongst the three sub-regions, which means that after Baron Waqa’s term, the next head will come from Melanesia.
The Micronesian members of the Forum first signalled their decision to leave in February 2021, on the grounds that a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ over appointment of the PIF Secretary General had been broken.
Nauru, Palau, FSM and Marshall Islands, similarly concerned over the decision, were convinced to return under the so-called Suva Agreement brokered by former Fiji PM Voreqe Bainimarama and his Cook Islands and Samoa counterparts in June last year.
Fiji Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, who handed over the Chair’s mantle to his Cook Islands colleague, Mark Brown at the meeting with the words “please handle with care”, worked hard to restore regional unity from his very first days in office, visiting Kiribati to present a traditional apology for ruptures in regionalism as his first overseas visit.
At the traditional opening of the Special Leaders Retreat, a matanigasau was presented to leaders, signifying a “profound commitment towards the restoration of peace and dignity to the heart of the Vanua, the Fenua or the Whenua.”
Kiribati’s President, Taneti Maamau had earlier in the week told journalists, “We are overjoyed, full of joy to come back to the family of the Pacific as well as the global family. Things that are done in the Pacific affect the entire world.”
Referring to the Special Leaders’ Retreat theme, Secretary General Puna stated, “We have reflected collectively, we have renewed collectively with the return of Kiribati, and today was about celebration for our being together again.”
Puna continued that the leaders’ decision meant they had a clear path to operationalising the Suva Agreement, “We now have everything that we need to move ahead with clarity and we will do so…expeditiously.”
Back to business
Resolution of membership questions means that the leaders, ministers and officials should be able to focus on their work program, including the implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, without distraction.
“If we are serious about our 2050 Strategy, we will find every possible way of being together, staying together and working together as one region. That is the most important priority for us,” said Puna.
At their retreat, leaders discussed some other critical matters. They noted and supported Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati’s requests to defer their graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status for a further three years, and have agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a permanent Pacific Islands Forum Special Envoy Office in the United States.
While the Pacific islands region is often portrayed as a place of geopolitical tension, Prime Minister and PIF Chair, Mark Brown said, “We regard ourselves as a region of peace, and the aim of our Forum is unity and prosperity for our countries. We don’t see ourselves as an area of contention. All of our countries have just come out of COVID with decreased economic activity, increased debt and so at this stage restoring our economic prosperity is important for us and we will look to all of our development partners that we have to assist us in what ways they can to ensure that our Pacific countries get their economic activities restored and get their levels of prosperity back to where they should be.”
Pacific island leaders have also reaffirmed their support for Australia’s bid to host the COP31 climate summit.
Brown said Australia had made a very strong commitment towards climate action.
“Their bid for the COP31 meeting is fully supported by the Forum members. And we’re looking at this particular COP meeting as a COP meeting for the Pacific, as a joint COP for Australian and the Pacific as well. The statements provided by Australian Prime Minister, the foreign minister in terms of Australia’s commitment towards addressing carbon emissions and assistance, and building resilience and contributions towards helping countries like us in the Pacific at risk of the impacts of climate change, are to be commended.”
Secretary General Puna says Australia has also agreed to hold a pre-COP meeting to agree how the hosting will take place.
The discharge of treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan was also discussed. PM Brown led a delegation to Japan to discuss the matter recently, and said, “I’m happy that the outcome of those meetings is for more intense dialogue to take place between scientific experts on the Japanese government side and also our panel of experts on the Forum side. Further, I’m pleased that we would request the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to be part of those deliberations. So that our panel will be able to provide us the leaders of the Pacific with an assurance of any actions that will be taken in terms of discharging water into the Pacific, that it will be done safely.”
The Leaders’ communique also notes support for the ‘Weather Ready Pacific’ initiative, noting that, “this will enhance the region’s early warning systems and increasing resilience to climate change.”
Meanwhile, the leaders tasked the Forum Secretariat to hold further discussions to better understand the challenges and opportunities of the seasonal labour mobility schemes in Australia and New Zealand, noting Samoa’s current review of the arrangements.
The Leaders also noted and supported Vanuatu’s Draft Resolution to the UNGA seeking an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change and the call for all Forum members to cosponsor the resolution by March 1.
A tangible demonstration of Pacific cooperation travelled a little under the radar on the sidelines of the Forum, but it was a timely reminder of regionalism in action. When New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, returned to her country on Saturday afternoon, she had a few extra passengers on her plane.
Ten Fiji defence force personnel, four National Fire Authority crew, and four National Disaster Management Office officials joined the flight to assist in the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery efforts.
Speaking earlier from the Australian-funded Blackrock Camp in Nadi, where the Fiji soldiers were readying for their deployment, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong noted that Fiji had shown leadership through its peacekeeping and humanitarian work.
“The work that can be supported out of here is demonstrated by the deployment that you saw,” Wong said. “Those personnel are deploying to Auckland and will be supporting our Kiwi friends, our New Zealand friends, at this very difficult time.”
Fiji’s Home Affairs Minister, Pio Tikoduadua, who met Wong at Blackrock added, “They travel with all our good wishes, and our good wishes for the people of New Zealand, that our boys will make a difference as they have done in the other areas where we have partnered with our vuvale friends, in the Australian bushfires and in the floods and also through RAMSI in the Pacific… We want to do our part. Yes we are small but I think we are just providing the best we can to help.”
