[Source: Government Press Secretariat]
Today, the 49th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting officially came to an end. Focussing on the theme Building a Strong Pacific: Our People, Our Islands, Our Will, the Forum recognized the opportunity that the theme presents to strengthen the region’s collective will to drive the region’s ambition to overcome the persistent development challenges faced by the Pacific people. It also serves to remind and inspire everyone to value the strategic potential of the region, and to act together from a position of strength.
Forum Leaders and representatives from around the Pacific as well as Forum Dialogue members, Associate members, Observer members, Civil Society and Private Organizations attended meetings from September 3 to 6 with side events scheduled around the main Forum meetings.
During the Forum, the Leaders endorsed the first Quadrennial Pacific Sustainable Development Report which tracks the Pacific region’s progress in realising the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A) Pathway and other global commitments, recognising that it will support Leaders’ participation at the 2019 UN General Assembly Special Summit on the 2030 Agenda and the S.A.M.O.A Pathway Mid Term Review, including the remaining preparatory processes.
Along with recognising the Blue Pacific narrative, the Leaders have also reaffirmed the prominence of regionally established mechanisms and called on all development partners, including multilateral agencies to integrate, monitor and report on global sustainable development commitments through existing Forum mechanisms, to ensure coherence in policy, implementation and accountability.
The Forum Leaders also endorsed the Regional Security Declaration known as the Boe Declaration and noted that an action plan for implementation will be developed by November 2018.
Other issues explored at the Forum and documented in the Forum Communique include: Climate Change and Disaster Resilience, Fisheries, Oceans, Childhood Obesity and Early Childhood Development/Non-Communicable Diseases, Aerial Surveillance, Strengthening arrangements for Regionalism, Charter of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Sustainable Funding Resolution, and Associate Membership. The Leaders endorsed the admission of Wallis and Futuna as an Associate Member to the Pacific Islands Forum.
More details will be in the forthcoming Forum Communique.
Tuvalu will host the 50th PIF Leaders Meeting in 2019 with Vanuatu set to host in 2020.