Page 14 - IB January 2023

Opinion

2050 TOPS REGIONALISM AGENDA
FOR 2023

By Henry Puna member governments,
our dialogue partner-
Ask anyone what the ships, our stakeholder
trending topics are for engagement.
the Pacific year ahead, In 2023, plans to visit
and the answers will not each Forum member
surprise. nation are already
The Climate Crisis. underway. Across civil
COVID. Food, family, society, private sector
economic security. Sus- and media briefings,
tainable Development and with the formal
for all. The state of our government channels
Oceans, our systems, alongside us, it’s an
our rights, our econo- important moment for
mies, our societies, our connecting the regional
democracies. Gender. will of our Leaders to
The list is an endless the people they serve.
and ever-changing Importantly, in my
reflection of the chang- work through these
ing, disrupted times we Henry Puna with Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare in Honiara this month. national visits aimed at
live in. supporting Leaders to
For the Forum team, strengthen and renew
our focus in 2023 will be on 2050. A single word at the heart ties across the region, the inclusion of our youth, women, pri-
of a Pacific strategy for our shared future. A word that sets vate sector and other non-state leaders is essential. These are
out to capture all the above responses, the drivers of change moments of powerful connection to the lived concerns and
in our Pacific world—and set out into a strategic blueprint for priorities of our Pacific nations and they bring life and context
future generations. to the policy documents and meetings of the Secretariat. I
Touted as our North Star, our compass point for the future began the HLC series in Solomon Islands this last week and it
we want, the 2050 Strategy went through an impressive con- reaffirmed to me, the value of in-person visits in deepening
sultation timeline and process. Across our sea of islands, the our understanding of a country’s context and policy position.
talanoa and principles linked interest groups at national and The primacy of Oceans work to our Blue Pacific identity is
community level to subregional and regional spaces. Diverse clear. In this regard, my advocacy on the Japanese Govern-
consultations take time, resourcing, and input. This resulted ment’s announcement to release treated Fukushima waste-
in a truly Pacific mandate endorsed in Suva, then launched water into our Blue Pacific Ocean in the first quarter of 2023
globally from the UNGA in September 2022. continues in its urgency, and I have undertaken to facilitate a
The strength and constituency from the journey of the high-level political visit to Japan in the coming weeks to drive
Pacific 2050 Strategy is already powering our current planning home our call for comprehensive sharing of information and
work on the implementation phase in the months and years robust dialogue that will go a long way to adequately address
ahead. Forum concerns before plans for discarding the wastewater
Endorsed alongside the 2050 Strategy, the Suva Agree- are finalised. My advocacy aligns firmly with Leaders’ positions
ment also features as a highlight of 2022 which will continue on this matter. And indeed, at the 51st Forum Leaders Meet-
implementation in 2023. Like the Strategy, it represents a ing in Suva, Fiji in July 2022, “Leaders reiterated their strong
commitment to regional solidarity now and into the future. concerns for the significance of the potential threat of nuclear
Where the 2050 Strategy upholds the collective commitment contamination to the health and security of the Blue Pacific,
of Forum Leaders to work together on the range of regional its people and prospects, and reaffirmed the importance of
priorities before us, the Suva Agreement emphasizes the ensuring international consultation, international law, and
value and importance of restoring and upholding the region’s independent and verifiable scientific assessments as per the
solidarity as a Forum family, whatever the cost. PALM9 Declaration.”
Both commitments will continue to guide our work through Recognising that a common understanding has not been
and beyond 2023. Regionalism and the Pacific Way. Principles reached with Japan at a technical level, the only option that
of talanoa, consensus, inclusion, mutual respect. These will remains for us now is political advocacy to reaffirm our posi-
continue to bring presence and purpose to our service to tion and to ensure that we are able to secure our region for

14 Islands Business, January 2023