Pacific leaders met in Honiara: here’s what they discussed

In September, leaders of the Pacific region joined together in the Solomon Islands’ capital of Honiara for the 54^th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting.

For policy watchers and regional insiders, the annual Leaders’ meeting is very much a spectator sport; set plays, high stakes and no shortage of sideline commentary.

Held under the theme ‘Iumi Tugeda: Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent’, this was a milestone event for the government and people of Solomon Islands, hosting the meeting for the first time since 1992.

It was an opportunity for the country to come together to showcase the diversity of its culture, and it marked a significant moment in regional diplomacy and cooperation.

What happened at this year’s meeting?

Each year, Forum Leaders of 18 countries and territories in the Pacific join regional agencies to discuss key policy issues.

Typically, Forum Leaders also meet with observer organisations such as the United Nations, and dialogue partner countries including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Japan and France.

However, this year, Solomon Islands opted to prevent dialogue partners and observers from attending.

This stemmed from an earlier decision that Taiwan would not be allowed to meet with its partners on the margins of the Leaders’ Meeting, as it traditionally does. While this attracted media attention in the lead-up, the meeting proceeded without incident and the absence of partners allowed leaders to focus on the agenda.  

Overall, leaders made significant progress on several major issues, with some long-awaited initiatives finally coming to fruition.

The Ocean of Peace Declaration

The Ocean of Peace has been in development since mid-2023, spearheaded by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji.

It sets out a vision for the region to remain a zone of peace, with principles that speak to preventing conflict, avoiding escalation and maintaining stability across the Pacific.

This declaration builds on existing strategies, including the Biketawa and Boe declarations, adding another important layer to the region’s security policy architecture.

In adopting the declaration, the prime ministers of Solomon Islands and Fiji spoke passionately about the importance of peace in the region.

Leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, took part in a ceremonial signing of a valu (a symbolic paddle) in a display of collective commitment to the vision.

The challenge now lies in the implementation. It’s one thing for leaders to agree on a new declaration, but the real test will be in how it is carried out.

The Pacific Resilience Facility

Another major milestone was the launch of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF). Conceived more than a decade ago, the PRF has now been formalised through a treaty signed by 15 Forum members.

The facility is the Pacific’s homegrown solution to the challenges it faces in accessing climate finance at the global level. It will provide small- to medium-scale grants to government, business and local communities in the Pacific, to strengthen their resilience to the impacts of climate change and disasters.

To date, about US$165 million of capital has been raised, with a target of reaching close to US$500 million before disbursement begins.

The treaty to establish the facility is the first new Pacific treaty to be concluded in some time, underlining the enduring importance of Pacific regionalism and multilateralism.

Review of Regional Architecture

Since 2019, the Forum has carried out an ongoing Review of Regional Architecture (RRA).

The RRA looks at how the Pacific’s regional architecture is governed, organised and managed, particularly to ensure it is set up to deliver on the region’s strategic vision as outlined in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.  

With growing geopolitical competition in the Pacific, this year’s discussions focused heavily on how Forum Leaders engage with a range of traditional and emerging partners. Those partners include countries, such as the US and China, and organisations, such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth Secretariat.  

Leaders agreed to a more strategic approach: prioritising engagement with partners most aligned with Pacific priorities and most likely to deliver tangible benefits.

As with the Ocean of Peace, the real test will be the implementation, which in this case is a highly political exercise.

The joint bid for COP31

As the battle to host the world’s leading climate change summit next year continues, Forum members reaffirmed their support for Australia’s bid for a Pacific COP31.

Climate change is the single greatest threat facing Pacific Island countries, and a joint Australia-Pacific COP would give the nations a strong platform to advocate for the global action needed to address the climate crisis.

Australia and Türkiye are both vying for the rights to host. A decision is expected at COP30, to be held in Brazil in November.

Looking ahead

Despite the initial concerns regarding the absence of partner countries, the 54^th Forum Leaders’ Meeting will be remembered as an opportunity to progress and sign off on several critical regional initiatives.

It is also worth noting that all the public sentiments to emerge from the dialogue reflected a leadership that was unified in purpose and intent.

Compared to the fragmentation that has characterised the Forum in years gone by, this year’s meeting should be viewed as a considerable success, for which the government and people of Solomon Islands, and the Secretary General and staff of the Forum Secretariat, should be recognised.   

As the region prepares for next year’s meeting in Palau, attention will turn to how these declarations and treaties are implemented and translated into tangible benefits for Pacific communities.