Rift ‘is history’ as Pacific forum commits to reforms
THE Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) says it is now ‘‘a family reconciled’’, as its leaders reaffirm their commitment to reforms to strengthen the regional body.
Stepping back into the fold, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau inked the final signature on the Suva Agreement, ending two years of uncertainty and marking the start of a new chapter for Pacific solidarity.
‘‘In unity we will surely succeed,’’ Maamau told RNZ Pacific. ‘‘We have a duty as a Pacific family to keep us together and to meet the challenges together.’’
The reforms deemed ‘‘nonnegotiables’’ include the endorsement of Micronesian candidates for certain regional roles, and the establishment of two sub-regional offices in the north
Pacific. The result is that Nauru’s former president, Baron Waqa, is set to become the next PIF secretary-general, starting in 2024.
Current forum deputy secretary-general Filimon Manoni, a Marshall Islander, will become the Pacific Ocean Commissioner hosted in Palau, and Kiribati will be home to the PIF sub-regional office in Micronesia.
Australia and New Zealand have agreed to foot the bill, and have committed to ‘‘transitional funding of NZ$3 million towards the operationalisation of the Suva Agreement’’ over the next three years.
‘‘The fracture is now history,’’ outgoing PIF secretary-general Henry Puna said.
‘‘We have all collectively decided to move on, and today we have cemented that . . . we are not looking back at all.’’
A range of other issues were also discussed by the leaders, such as Japan’s plans to release over a million tonnes of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.
They also agreed – in response to increased geopolitical tensions in the region – to establish a permanent representation at the United Nations and in Washington, DC, in the form of a PIF special envoy to the United States.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he was ‘‘pleased to be able to contribute’’ towards the final outcomes of the Nadi meeting. ‘‘As I hand over the baton, I know that we are in good hands as we paddle our drua (canoe) to achieve our collective aspirations,’’ he said in his final statement as outgoing forum chair.
The chairmanship has been transferred to the Cook Islands, which will host the 52nd PIF summit later this year.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown promised to keep the region’s ‘‘unity intact’’.
He said that while the main challenges in the Suva Agreement had been overcome with the allocation of offices within the region, resourcing and financing were issues that would need attention.
Other decisions set out in the communique included PIF leaders pledging their support for Australia’s joint bid to host the COP31 UN climate talks alongside Pacific countries.